For although I had general goals, the actual path followed by my research was pragmatically determined by what could be done at any given time, and my young collaborators were an essential part of this process. In 1973 he was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University together with Theodore Puck and Harry Eagle. The paper had enormous resonance, at first mostly negative, but very soon converted into positive. He was drafted into the Italian army in World War II, but later joined the resistance. Tue. I was born in Catanzaro, Italy, from a Calabrese mother and a Ligurian father. What I remember most of that period, besides my family and the few friends, was the rocky beach where I spent most of my time during the summer holiday, and a small meteorological observatory, where I used to spend lots of my free time throughout the year. 10 December 1934-9 February 1994", Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, "Renato Dulbecco, 97, Dies; Won Prize for Cancer Study". Several outreach organisations and activities have been developed to inspire generations and disseminate knowledge about the Nobel Prize. Dulbecco Dulbecco, Renato. Renato Dulbecco died on 19 February 2012. 22 Dec 2020. from the University of Turin in 1936 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1947. One of the reasons for the latter move was the opportunity to work in the field of human cancer. I concentrated on a model system, mammary cancers induced in rats, and I spent some time learning how to work with them. In 1968, he and Joseph Sambrook showed that the viral DNA was integrated into the cellular DNA and proposed that the virus was adding genes to cells, implying that genes cause cancer. Twelve laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2020, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize. He asked me whether I was interested. I graduated from high school at 16 (1930) and went to the University in Torino. Perhaps more important than all this, the daily interaction through the years with a continuously changing group of young investigators shaped my work. Temin and Baltimore showed that, when a viral gene is transferred to a cell, an enzyme known as reverse transcriptase (RNA-dependent DNA polymerase), facilitates it and then replicates the … [21] His research using a stem cell model system suggested that a single malignant cell with stem cell properties may be sufficient to induce cancer in mice and can generate distinct populations of tumor-initiating cells also with cancer stem cell properties. I moved back to Levi’s Institute and worked together with Levi-Montalcini, who encouraged me to go to the USA to work in modern biology. LA JOLLA --Renato Dulbecco, a Salk Institute professor and Nobel laureatewhosparkedthe Human Genome Project, died on Sunday. Temin and Baltimore arrived at the discovery of reverse transcriptase simultaneously and independently from each other; although Dulbecco did not take direct part in either of their experiments, he had taught the two methods they used to make the discovery.[16]. I moved to Caltech in the summer 1949. Dulbecco was the recipient of the Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology from the National Academy of Sciences in 1974. L'impegno era immane e imponeva una collaborazione globale. My work throughout the years has been strongly influenced by my associates. [19][20] From 1993 to 1997 he moved back to Italy, where he was president of the Institute of Biomedical Technologies at C.N.R. I was sent briefly to the French front, and a year later to Russia. Molecular biologist who proved that virus-derived genes can trigger cancer. In 1977 I returned to the Salk Institute, where I continued, with some collaborators, in the new direction, concentrating on the normal development of the gland. I always did as much as possible of the experimental work with my own hands, but in the later part of my research career this became progressively less feasible, both because the demand on my time increased and because the increasing technical sophistication and complexities of the experiments demanded a great deal of specialized skills. We also started investigating the changes in gene expression in human breast cancer, using two new approaches for improving the results: one was the isolation of pure cancer cells in order to avoid contamination with genes expressed by various types of normal cells present in a cancer; the other was to adopt the SAGE approach to measure gene expression, in order to avoid the complications of the microarray technology. (National Council of Research) in Milan. After hospitalization and the collapse of Fascism, he joined the resistance against the German occupation. ... DNA and proteins are key molecules of the cell nucleus. Ritratto esclusivo 1987: la comunità scientifica internazionale lancia il Progetto Genoma Umano; come coordinatore italiano viene scelto il professor Renato Dulbecco. 1972 Aug; 69(8):2160-4. Renato Dulbecco Biographical I was born in Catanzaro, Italy, from a Calabrese mother and a Ligurian father. Oncoviruses are the cause of some forms of human cancers. One day I was told by Delbrück that a rich citizen had given Caltech a fund for work in the animal virus field. Renato Dulbecco (, ; February 22, 1914 – February 19, 2012) was an Italian–American virologist who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on oncoviruses, which are viruses that … Renato Dulbecco Un "cartografo" a San Remo . However, the life of routine politics was not for me and within months I left that position to return to the laboratory. I used the technique for studying the biological properties of poliovirus. Renato Dulbecco tra virus e genoma ... dalla diffusione degli antibiotici alla scoperta della doppia elica del Dna, fino ai vaccini contro la poliomielite (Salk e Sabin). This dream became a reality after Luria, who had been in the USA since the beginning of the war, and was working in this very field, came in the summer of 1946 to Torino. It became obvious to me that some major effort had to be made to gain knowledge of the genes active in cells; the determination of the genes present in a given species would be the starting point. Without her affectionate encouragement and sound advice I doubt whether I would have been able to accomplish what I have done. I myself started working on an oncogenic virus, polyoma virus, in 1958, and continued until now. Si laurea nel 1936, appena prima di partire per il servizio militare come ufficiale medico fino al 1938. He died on February 19, 2012, three days before his 98th birthday. In the end it helped the emergence of the genome project. After visiting the major centers of animal virus work in the US I set out to discover the way to assay animal viruses by a plaque technique, similar to that used for phages, using cell cultures. Renato Dulbecco (Catanzaro, 22 febbraio 1914 – La Jolla, 19 febbraio 2012) è stato un biologo e medico italiano. Renato Dulbecco, who has died aged 97, shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Howard Temin and David Baltimore, for research which … [13], After the war he resumed his work at Levi's laboratory, but soon he moved, together with Levi-Montalcini, to the U.S., where, at Indiana University, he worked with Salvador Luria on bacteriophages. At only 22, he graduated in morbid anatomy and pathology under the supervision of professor Giuseppe Levi. Il padre ligure è ingegnere del genio civile, che lo manda in Calabria per ricostruire le case distrutte da una serie di terremoti avvenuti all’inizio del secolo. In the late fifties I had as a student Howard Temin, who, together with Harry Rubin, then a postdoctoral fellow in my laboratory, worked on the Rous Sarcoma Virus. This work has led to discovering many aspects of the interaction of this virus (and of SV40) with the host cells in lytic infection and transformation. During these years I collaborated with investigators of the National Research Council and of the National Cancer Institute in Milan. Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco presents a fascinating overview of the current state of information about life processes, ranging from the characteristics and activities of DNA to sexuality, practical aspects of genetics, communication between cells and between organisms, and the effects of drugs on the brain. My dream was to work in genetics of some very simple organism, possibly using radiations. We continued the study of mammary development, using a tissue culture system in which differentiation occurs in vitro. Renato Dulbecco (/dʌlˈbɛkoʊ/ dul-BEK-oh,[4][5] Italian: [reˈnaːto dulˈbɛkko, -ˈbek-]; February 22, 1914 – February 19, 2012)[6] was an Italian–American virologist who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on oncoviruses, which are viruses that can cause cancer when they infect animal cells. I went to work with Luria in Bloomington, Indiana, where I shared with him a small laboratory under the roof, to be soon joined by Jim Watson. In quell’anno il presidente degli Stati Uniti, Bill Clinton, annunciò che tutti i geni dell’uomo erano stati individuati e la loro funzione descritta. In 1940 Italy entered World War II and Dulbecco was recalled and sent to the front in France and Russia, where he was wounded. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1975, Renato Dulbecco - Nobel Lecture: From the Molecular Biology of Oncogenic DNA Viruses to Cancer. I thus suggested the starting of a genome project in two lectures I gave in 1985 and 1986. Experiments with polyoma DNA 53 07:05 22. I moved from Caltech to the Salk Institute in 1962, and in 1972 to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories in London. Dulbecco's groundbreaking work on viruses was recognized in 1975 with the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with David Baltimore and Howard Temin). This, according to the research leads to the acquisition of the tumor phenotype of the infected cells. Dulbecco's discoveries allowed humans to better understand and fight cancer. For more than a century, these academic institutions have worked independently to select Nobel Laureates in each prize category. He had a remarkable career in science that spanned over 60 years. Renato Dulbecco lived a long life and was active in research even when he was well into his nineties. The Italian Project produced some results, but was handicapped by the isolation of the researchers and the limitation of facilities and financing. Dulbecco and his group demonstrated that the infection of normal cells with certain types of viruses (oncoviruses) led to the incorporation of virus-derived genes into the host-cell genome, and that this event lead to the transformation (the acquisition of a tumor phenotype) of those cells. Throughout this time he also worked with Marguerite Vogt. Tasked with a mission to manage Alfred Nobel's fortune and has ultimate responsibility for fulfilling the intentions of Nobel's will. He was born to Leon-ardo and Maria Dulbecco in Catanzaro, Italy, on February 22, 1914, and he died in La Jolla, California, on February 19, 2012. A year later, however, I was called up again because of the Second World War. In the summer of 1949 he moved to Caltech, joining Max Delbrück's group (see Phage group). Dulbecco is the recipient of many other awards and honors. Renato Dulbecco, (born February 22, 1914, Catanzaro, Italy—died February 19, 2012, La Jolla, California, U.S.), Italian American virologist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1975 with Howard M. Temin and David Baltimore, both of whom had studied under him.. Dulbecco obtained an M.D. He is survived by The results can be interpreted as implicating the mammary stem cells in the origin of the cancer. After the war he resumed his work at Levi's laboratory, but soon he moved, together with Levi-Montalcini, to the U.S., where, at Indiana University, he worked with Salvador Luria on bacteriophages. Si tratta di una permanenza breve, seguita dal rientro della famiglia nei pressi di Imperia e dallo spostamento di Renato a Torino, dove si laurea soli 22 anni in medicina sotto la supervisione di Giuseppe Levi, grande personalità della medicina dell’epoca e padre della scrittrice Nata… During this time I gave up my lab, in order to concentrate on the needs of the Institute, which was going through a very difficult period. During this work I became aware of the major difficulty in trying to identify cell types and their roles in both development and carcinogenesis. Loss of simian virus 40 DNA-RNA hybrids from nitrocellulose membranes; implications for the study of virus--host DNA interactions. There he started his studies about animal oncoviruses, especially of polyoma family. In 1965 he received the Marjory Stephenson Prize from the Society for General Microbiology. There I developed a strong liking for physics, which I put to good use by building an electronic seismograph, probably one of the first of its kind, which actually worked. Addio a Renato Dulbecco, Se ne va il gentiluomo della ricerca, Addio a Renato Dulbecco. Synopsis Born in Italy in 1914, Renato Dulbecco was a virologist who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with Howard M. … In 1948 he published, with Salvador Luria, his first real scientific paper in Genetics on bacteriophage genetics and in 2008 published his last paper in PNAS on breast cancer tumor-initiating cells. di Piergiorgio Odifreddi, da Repubblica Non era solo uno studioso celebre in tutto il mondo, un premio Nobel per la medicina che aveva scoperto, attraverso i lavori sul Dna, un modo per combattere i tumori. There I had a narrow escape on the front of the Don during a major Russian offensive in 1942: I was hospitalized for several months and sent home. Renato Dulbeccoand his team of researchers, Temin and Baltimore, were able to prove that a normal cell being infected by certain types of viruses (oncoviruses) can result in the build-up of virus-derived genes in the host cell genome. His interest in cancer stem cells was strongly influenced by evidence that in addition to genomic mutations, epigenetic modification of a cell may contribute to the development or progression of cancer. Renato Dulbecco died on February 19, 2012, three days shy of his 98th birthday. Renato Dulbecco (Catanzaro, 1914 – La Jolla, 2012), premio Nobel per la Medicina nel 1975, è tra i biologi che hanno progettato il mappatura e poi il sequenziamento del genoma umano. I was fascinated by the beauty and immensity of the USA and the kindness of its people. [17] As many Italian scientists Dulbecco did not have any PhD because it was not existent in the Italian higher education system (until when it was introduced in 1980[18]). Nobel Media AB 2020. born Feb. 22, 1914, Catanzaro, Italy Italian born U.S. virologist. So in the autumn 1947 we both embarked for the US. Renato Dulbecco è l’uomo che ha lanciato nel 1985 il «Progetto genoma umano». Later in his career, he initiated the Human Genome Project and was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1975 for furthering our understanding of cancer caused by viruses. I remember that memorable trip from Indiana to California with my family in an old car, with our limited possessions in a small trailer behind. In 1938 I was discharged and returned to pathology. Despite a strong interest in mathematics and physics, he decided to study medicine. In addition, it is well known that in the 1980s and 1990s, an understanding of reverse transcriptase and of the origins, nature, and properties of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, of which there are two well-understood serotypes, HIV-1, and the less-common and less virulent HIV-2), the virus which, if unchecked, ultimately causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), led to the development of the first group of drugs that could be considered successful against the virus, the reverse-transcriptase inhibitors, of which zidovudine is a well-known example. The Italian biologist Renato Dulbecco (1914-2012) had early success isolating a mutant of the polio virus which was used to create a life-saving vaccine. "Renato Dulbecco (1914–2012) Molecular biologist who proved that virus-derived genes can trigger cancer", "Renato Dulbecco: Viruses, genes, and cancer", "Renato Dulbecco and the new animal virology: Medicine, methods, and molecules", "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1975", "The properties of a mammary gland cancer stem cell", "Distinct populations of tumor-initiating cells derived from a tumor generated by rat mammary cancer stem cells", "Selman A. Waksman Award in Microbiology", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Renato_Dulbecco&oldid=995576264, California Institute of Technology faculty, Italian military personnel of World War II, Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Pages using infobox scientist with unknown parameters, Nobelprize template using Wikidata property P8024, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 20:21. Dulbecco's study gave a basis for a precise understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which they propagate, thus allowing humans to better fight them. For my degree, however, I went to morbid anatomy and pathology. I continued to visit the Institute of Morbid Anatomy in Torino where I joined in underground political activities together with Giacomo Mottura, a senior colleague. He also retained his position on the faculty of Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Si è spento in California, dove viveva da molto tempo, quando mancavano due giorni ai suoi 98 anni. He died three days before his 98th birthday. He was married twice, first to Giuseppina Salvo and later to Maureen Rutherford Muir. Within less than a year, I worked out such a method, which opened up animal virology to quantitative work. Renato Dulbecco, nato a Catanzaro il 22 febbraio 1914, a soli sedici anni si iscrive alla facoltà di Medicina dell'Università di Torino, dove incontra due studenti, Salvador Luria e Rita Levi Montalcini ''che avranno poi una grande influenza sulla sua vita''. Understanding cancer 81 03:27 24. These drugs are still used today as one part of the highly-active antiretroviral therapy drug cocktail that is in contemporary use. At Caltech I continued to work with phages for a few years. In 1936 he was called up for military service as a medical officer, and later (1938) discharged. I resolved at that time that I would not like to live anywhere else in the world – a resolution that I changed only some twenty-three years later. Since 1962 my scientific life has had the support of my second wife, Maureen, who for some years helped in my experiments. I also went back to school, enrolling in regular courses in physics, which I pursued for the next two years. After I received the Nobel Prize my research interest shifted to the study of naturally occurring cancers. [23] He was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 1974.[2]. Furthermore, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis mediated by oncoviruses closely resemble the process by which normal cells degenerate into cancer cells. Dulbecco was a part of the group which made key discoveries on the functioning of oncoviruses the viruses that can cause cancer when they infect animal cells. Dulbecco was actively involved in research into identification and characterization of mammary gland cancer stem cells until December 2011. by the Laureate. Renato Dulbecco was a pioneering molecular biologist, virologist, and cancer researcher. Work on 'temperature mutants' leads to a discovery 47 03:24 25. Dulbecco, Renato. These successes brought me an appointment first to associate professor, then to full professor at Caltech. There he started his studies about animal oncoviruses, especially of polyoma family. Renato Dulbecco, Nobel per la Medicina del 1975, ... Ma un altro importante lascito dello studioso è il grande sforzo fatto per sequenziare il DNA umano, che Dulbecco caldeggiò e per il quale si attivò, sollecitando tutta la comunità scientifica a fare altrettanto. So I went to work with Giuseppe Levi, the professor of Anatomy, where I learned Histology and the rudiments of cell culture. In the late 1950s, he took Howard Temin as a student, with whom, and together with David Baltimore, he would later share the 1975 Nobel Prize in Phy… This autobiography/biography was written Giuseppe Levi taught me the essential value of criticism in scientific work, Rita Levi-Montalcini helped me to determine my goals at an early stage; Salvador Luria introduced me to viruses; Herman Muller, at the University of Indiana taught me the significance of Genetics; Max Delbrück helped me understand the scientific method and the goals of biology, and Marguerite Vogt contributed to my knowledge of animal cell cultures. I stayed in that city for a short time; my father was called into the army (World War I) and we moved to the north, Cuneo and Torino. He found that virus replication either led to a destruction of cells and the release of … Catanzaro, la città che gli dà i natali il 22 febbraio del 1914 è una casualità. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted In 1986 he was among the scientists who launched the Human Genome Project. To cite this section Renato Dulbecco Nobel Lecture Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1975. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. These suggestions remained without consequences. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] He studied at the University of Turin under Giuseppe Levi, along with fellow students Salvador Luria and Rita Levi-Montalcini, who also moved to the U.S. with him and won Nobel prizes. Dr. Dulbecco's early work on bacterial viruses led to the development of methods for investigating the process of viral infection of normal cells in culture.