Stanley Prusiner
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Stanley Benjamin Prusiner was born on May 28, 1942, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Miriam (Spigel) and Lawrence Prusiner. His father was an architect. Prusiner spent most of his early years in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Walnut Hills High School, where he earned a reputation as a gifted student. As a teenager, he impressed teachers with an innovative science project that involved developing a repellent for boxelder bugs.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 28 May, 1942
- Age
- 77 yrs
- Citizenship
- United States of America
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- Birth Place
- Des Moines
- residence
- San Francisco
- Gender
- Male
- Description
- Neurologist, biochemist
Education and Medical Training
Prusiner pursued his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He continued at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, obtaining his M.D. degree.
After medical school, Prusiner moved to California and began an internship in medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His growing interest in research led him to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he worked in the laboratory of biochemist Earl Stadtman. During his three years at the NIH, Prusiner studied glutaminases in E. coli, gaining valuable biochemical research experience.
University of California and Academic Career
Following his tenure at the NIH, Prusiner returned to UCSF to complete a residency in neurology. In 1974, he joined the faculty of UCSF's Department of Neurology, where he remained professionally based for decades.
Over the years, Prusiner held academic positions at both the University of California, Berkeley, and UCSF. He is currently the director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at UCSF. His pioneering research has focused on neurodegenerative disorders, particularly those involving prions—a unique class of infectious, self-replicating proteins.
