Roderick MacKinnon | |
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.jpg) MacKinnon in 2014 | |
| Born | (1956-02-19)February 19, 1956 (age 69) |
| Education | |
| Known for | Potassium Channel Structure |
| Spouse | Jue Chen (2017–) |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | |
Roderick MacKinnon (born February 19, 1956[1]) is an American biophysicist, neuroscientist, and businessman. He is a professor of molecular neurobiology andbiophysics atRockefeller University who won theNobel Prize in Chemistry together withPeter Agre in 2003 for his work on the structure and operation ofion channels.[2][3][4]
MacKinnon was born inBurlington, Massachusetts and initially attended theUniversity of Massachusetts Boston.[5] MacKinnon then transferred toBrandeis University after one year, and there he received a bachelor's degree inbiochemistry in 1978, studyingcalcium transport through thecell membrane for his honors thesis in Christopher Miller's laboratory. It was also at Brandeis where MacKinnon met his future wife and working-colleague Alice Lee, who is an organic chemist.[6][5]
After receiving his bachelor's degree fromBrandeis University, MacKinnon entered medical school atTufts University.[4] He got his M.D. in 1982 and received training in Internal Medicine atBeth Israel Hospital in Boston. He did not feel satisfied enough with the medical profession, so in 1986 he returned to Christopher Miller's laboratory at Brandeis for postdoctoral studies.[6]
In 1989 he was appointed assistant professor atHarvard University[7][8] where he studied the interaction of thepotassium channel with a specific toxin derived from scorpion venom, acquainting himself with methods of protein purification andX-ray crystallography. In 1996 he moved toRockefeller University as a professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics where he started to work on the structure of the potassium channel. These channels are of particular importance to thenervous system and the heart and enable potassium ions to cross thecell membrane.
Potassium channels demonstrate a seemingly counterintuitive activity: they permit the passage of potassium ions, whereas they do not allow the passage of the much smallersodium ions. Before MacKinnon's work, the detailed molecular architecture of potassium channels and the exact means by which they conduct ions remained speculative.[verification needed]
In 1998, despite barriers to thestructural study ofintegral membrane proteins that had thwarted most attempts for decades, MacKinnon and colleagues determined the three-dimensional molecular structure of a potassium channel from an actinobacterium,Streptomyces lividans, utilizingX-ray crystallography.[5] With this structure and other biochemical experiments, MacKinnon and colleagues were able to explain the exact mechanism by whichpotassium channel selectivity occurs.[9][10]
His prize-winning research was conducted primarily at theCornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) ofCornell University, and at theNational Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) ofBrookhaven National Laboratory.[11]
MacKinnon was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 2005.[12] In 2007 he became a foreign member of theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[13]
MacKinnon is co-inventor with his friend and scientific collaborator, neurobiologist Bruce Bean ofHarvard Medical School, of adietary supplement for treating and preventing muscle cramps; they tested it in clinical trials and are co-founders a company to commercialize their invention, Flex Pharma.[15]Christoph Westphal and Jennifer Cermak were co-founders as well.[16][17]
The company undertookdrug development of a formulation of supplement as a drug candidate for neuromuscular disorders likeALS, and raised a $40 million Series A round.[16][18] The company had an $86 millioninitial public offering in 2015.[19] In 2016, the company launched "HotShot" as a dietary supplement for endurance athletes.[20] In June 2018 the company halted clinical development of the drug candidate due to tolerability issues, cut its workforce, and said it was considering its strategy.[21][22] In July 2018 MacKinnon resigned from the board of directors.[23]
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