The NIH Almanac - Nobel Laureates

Nobel Laureates

Read about the NIH Scientists who have won Nobel prizes.

Laureate	Field	Year	Supporting NIH Institute(s)
Mario R. Capecchi, U.S.A., and Oliver Smithies, U.S.A. (shared with M. J. Evans, U.K.)	Physiology or Medicine	2007	NIGMS, NHLBI, NIDDK, NCI, NICHD
Roger D. Kornberg, U.S.A.	Chemistry	2006	NIGMS, NIAID, NCI
Andrew Z. Fire, U.S.A., and Craig C. Mello, U.S.A.	Physiology or Medicine	2006	NIGMS, NICHD
Robert H. Grubbs, U.S.A., and Richard R. Schrock, U.S.A. (shared with Yves Chauvin, France)	Chemistry	2005	NIGMS
Richard Axel, U.S.A., and Linda B. Buck, U.S.A.	Physiology or Medicine	2004	NIDCD, NCI, NIAID, NIMH, NINDS, NIDDK
Irwin A. Rose, U.S.A., Avram Hershko, Israel (shared with Aaron Ciechanover, Israel)	Chemistry	2004	NIAMD, NCI, NIAAA, NIGMS, NIDDK
Roderick MacKinnon , U.S.A., and Peter Agre, U.S.A.	Chemistry	2003	NHLBI, NEI, NIAAA, NIGMS, NCRR, NINDS, NIDDK
Paul C. Lauterbur, U.S.A. (shared with P. Mansfield, U.K.)	Physiology or Medicine	2003	NCRR, NCI, NHLBI, NIGMS, NIMH
John B. Fenn, U.S.A. (shared with K. Tanaka, Japan and K. Wüthrich, Switzerland)	Chemistry	2002	NIGMS
H. Robert Horvitz, U.S.A. (shared with S. Brenner, U.S.A. and J.E. Sulston, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	2002	NIGMS, NCI, NICHD
Leland H. Hartwell, U.S.A. (shared with P.M. Nurse and R.T. Hunt, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	2001	NIGMS, NCI, NCRR
K. Barry Sharpless, U.S.A. (shared with W.S. Knowles, U.S.A. and R. Noyori, Japan)	Chemistry	2001	NIGMS, NHLBI
Paul Greengard, U.S.A. (shared with E. Kandel, U.S.A. and A. Carlsson, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	2000	NIMH, NIA, NIDA, NINDS, NIAAA, NHLBI, NIAMS
Erik R. Kandel, U.S.A. (shared with P. Greengard, U.S.A. and A. Carlsson, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	2000	NIMH, NIGMS, NINDS, NCRR
James J. Heckman, U.S.A. (shared with D. McFadden, U.S.A.)	Economic sciences	2000	NICHD, NIMH
Daniel L. McFadden, U.S.A. (shared with J. Heckman, U.S.A.)	Economic sciences	2000	NIA
Günter Blobel, U.S.A.	Physiology or medicine	1999	NIGMS, NCI
Robert Furchgott, U.S.A. (shared with L. Ignarro and F. Murad, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1998	NIGMS, NHLBI, NINDS
Louis Ignarro, U.S.A. (shared with F. Murad and R. Furchgott, U.S. A.)	Physiology or medicine	1998	NHLBI, NIAMS, NICHD
Ferid Murad, U.S.A. (shared with L. Ignarro and R. Furchgott, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1998	NIGMS, NHLBI, NIDDK
Paul D. Boyer, U.S.A. (shared with J.C. Skou,)	Chemistry	1997	NIGMS, NIDDK
Jens C. Skou, Denmark (shared with P.D. Boyer)	Chemistry	1997	NINDS
Stanley B. Prusiner, U.S.A. Physiology or medicine	Physiology or medicine	1997	NINDS, NIA, NCRR, NIGMS
Edward B. Lewis, U.S.A. (shared with C. Nusslein-Volhard, Germany, and E.F. Wieschaus, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1995	NICHD, NIGMS
Eric F. Wieschaus, U.S.A. (shared with E.B. Lewis, U.S.A., and C. Nusslein-Volhard, Germany)	Physiology or medicine	1995	NICHD
Alfred G. Gilman, U.S.A. (shared with M. Rodbell, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1994	NIGMS, NINDS
Martin Rodbell, U.S.A. (shared with A.G. Gilman, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1994	NIEHS, NIDDK
George A. Olah, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1994	NCI, NIGMS
Phillip A. Sharp, U.S.A. (shared with R. Roberts, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	1993	NIGMS, NCI, NIAID, DRS, NCRR
Richard Roberts, U.K. (shared with P.A. Sharp, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1993	NCRR, NLM, NCHGR, NCI, NIGMS
Robert W. Fogel, Ph.D.	Economic Sciences	1993	NIA
Kary B. Mullis, U.S.A. (shared with M. Smith, Canada)	Chemistry	1993	NHBLI, NIAID, NIGMS
Michael Smith, Canada (shared with K.B. Mullis, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1993	NIGMS
Edwin G. Krebs, U.S.A (shared with E.H. Fisher, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1992	NIDDK, NIGMS, NIAMS
Edmond H. Fisher, U.S.A. (shared with E.G. Krebs, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1992	NIDDK, NIGMS, NIAMS
Gary Becker, U.S.A.	Economics	1992	NICHD
Elias J. Corey, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1990	NIGMS, NCRR, NCI, NHLBI, NIAID
E. Donnall Thomas, U.S.A. (shared with J.E. Murray, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1990	NCI, NIAID, NIDDK
Joseph E. Murray, U.S.A. (shared with E.D. Thomas, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1990	NHLBI, NIAID
Sidney Altman, U.S.A. (shared with T. Cech, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1989	NIGMS, NICHD
Thomas Cech, U.S.A. (shared with S. Altman, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1989	NIGMS, NCI
J. Michael Bishop, U.S.A (shared with H.E. Varmus, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1989	NCI
Harold E. Varmus, U.S.A. (shared with J.M. Bishop, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1989	NCI, NIAID
Susumu Tonegawa, Japan	Physiology or medicine	1987	NIAID
Donald J. Cram, U.S.A. (shared with C.J. Pederson, U.S.A., and Jean-Marie Lehn, France)	Chemistry	1987	NIGMS
Stanley Cohen, U.S.A. (shared with R. Levi-Montalcini, U.S.A./Italy)	Physiology or medicine	1986	NICHD, NIGMS
Rita Levi-Montalcini, U.S.A./Italy (shared with S. Cohen, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1986	NIMH, NINDS
Herbert A. Hauptman, U.S.A. (shared with J. Karle, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1985	NIGMS, NIADDK, NHLBI, DRR
Michael S. Brown, U.S.A. (shared with J.L. Goldstein, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1985	NHLBI, NIGMS, DRR
Joseph L. Goldstein, U.S.A. (shared with M.S. Brown, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1985	NHLBI, NIGMS, DRR
R. Bruce Merrifield, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1984	NIDDK
Henry Taube, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1983	NIGMS
Sune Bergstrom, Sweden (shared with J. R. Vane, U.K. and B. Samuelsson, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	1982	NHLBI, NLM, NICHD
John R. Vane, U.K. (shared with S. Bergstrom and B. Samuelsson, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	1982	DRG, NIGMS, NIMH
Aaron Klug, U.K.	Chemistry	1982	NIAID
Roald Hoffmann, U.S.A. (shared with K. Fukui, Japan)	Chemistry	1981	NIGMS
David H. Hubel, U.S.A. (shared with T. N. Wiesel, U.S.A./Sweden, and R. W. Sperry, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1981	NEI, NIGMS, NINDS, DRR
Torsten N. Wiesel, U.S.A./Sweden (shared with D. H. Hubel and R. W. Sperry, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1981	NEI, DRR, NINDS
Paul Berg, U.S.A. (shared with W. Gilbert, U.S.A., and F. Sanger, U.K.)	Chemistry	1980	NIGMS, NCI
Walter Gilbert, U.S.A. (shared with P. Berg, U.S.A., and F. Sanger, U.K.)	Chemistry	1980	NIGMS, NIDDK
Baruj Benacerraf, U.S.A. (shared with G. D. Snell, U.S.A., and J. Dausset, France)	Physiology or medicine	1980	NIAID, NCI
George D. Snell, U.S.A. (shared with B. Benacerraf, U.S.A., and J. Dausset, France)	Physiology or medicine	1980	NIAID, NCI
Jean Dausset, France (shared with B. Benacerraf and G. D. Snell, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1980	NIAID, NCI
Herbert C. Brown, U.S.A. (shared with G. Wittig, W. Germany)	Chemistry	1979	NIGMS
Hamilton O. Smith, U.S.A. (shared with D. Nathans, U.S.A., and W. Arber, Switzerland)	Physiology or medicine	1978	NIGMS, NIAID
Daniel Nathans, U.S.A. (shared with H. O. Smith, U.S.A., and W. Arber, Switzerland)	Physiology or medicine	1978	NIGMS, NCI
Roger C. L. Guillemin, U.S.A. (shared with A. V. Schally and R. S. Yalow, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1977	NIDDK, NICHD, DRR
Andrew V. Schally, U.S.A. (shared with R. C. L. Guillemin and R. S. Yalow, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1977	NIDDK, NICHD, NIGMS
D. Carleton Gajdusek, U.S.A. (shared with B. S. Blumberg, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1976	NINDS
Baruch S. Blumberg, U.S.A. (shared with D. C. Gajdusek, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1976	NHLBI, NCI
William N. Lipscomb, U.S.A	Chemistry	1976	NIGMS, DRG
David Baltimore, U.S.A. (shared with R. Dulbecco and H. M. Temin, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1975	NIAID, NCI
Renato Dulbecco, U.S.A. (shared with D. Baltimore and H. M. Temin, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1975	NIAID, NCI
Howard M. Temin, U.S.A. (shared with D. Baltimore and R. Dulbecco, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1975	NCI
Albert Claude, Belgium (shared with C. de Duve, Belgium, and G. E. Palade, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1974	NCI
George E. Palade, U.S.A. (shared with C. de Duve and A. Claude, Belgium)	Physiology or medicine	1974	NHLBI, NIGMS
Christian de Duve, Belgium (shared with A. Claude, Belgium, and G. E. Palade, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1974	NICHD, NIGMS, NHLBI, NIA
Gerald M. Edelman, U.S.A. (shared with R. R. Porter, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	1972	NIDDK, NIAID, NICHD
Rodney R. Porter, U.K. (shared with G. M. Edelman, U.S.A.) " 1972 NIAID	Physiology or medicine	1972	NIAID
Christian B. Anfinsen, U.S.A. (shared with S. Moore and W. H. Stein, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1972	NHLBI, NIDDK
Stanford Moore, U.S.A. (shared with C. B. Anfinsen and W. H. Stein, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1972	NIGMS, NINDS
William H. Stein, U.S.A. (shared with C. B. Anfinsen and S. Moore, U.S.A.)	Chemistry	1972	NIGMS
Earl W. Sutherland, Jr., U.S.A	Physiology or medicine	1971	NIGMS, NHLBI, NIDDK
Julius Axelrod, U.S.A. (shared with B. Katz, U.K., and U. von Euler, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	1970	NHLBI, NIMH
Ulf von Euler, Sweden (shared with J. Axelrod, U.S.A., and B. Katz, U.K.)	Chemistry	1970	NINDS
Luis Leloir, Argentina	Chemistry	1970	NIGMS, NIAID
Max Delbruck, U.S.A. (shared with A. D. Hershey and S. Luria, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1969	NIGMS
Alfred D. Hershey, U.S.A. (shared with M. Delbruck and S. Luria, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1969	NIGMS, NCI, NICHD
Salvador Luria, U.S.A. (shared with M. Delbruck and A. D. Hershey, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1969	NIAID, NIGMS, NCI
Robert W. Holley, U.S.A. (shared with H. G. Khorana and M. W. Nirenberg, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1968	NIGMS, NCI
H. Gobind Khorana, U.S.A. (shared with R. W. Holley and M. W. Nirenberg, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1968	NIGMS, NCI, NIAID
Marshall W. Nirenberg, U.S.A. (shared with R. W. Holley and H. G. Khorana, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1968	NHLBI
Lars Onsager, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1968	NIGMS
Haldan K. Hartline, U.S.A. (shared with G. Wald, U.S.A., and R. Granit, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	1967	NINDS, NEI
George Wald, U.S.A. (shared with H. K. Hartline, U.S.A., and R. Granit, Sweden)	Physiology or medicine	1967	NINDS, NEI
Charles B. Huggins, U.S.A. (shared with P. Rous, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1966	NCI, NIDDK, NIGMS
Jacques L. Monod, France (shared with F. Jacob and A. Lwoff, France)	Physiology or medicine	1965	NIAID
Robert B. Woodward, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1965	NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG, NIDDK
Konrad Bloch, U.S.A. (shared with F. Lynen, Germany)	Physiology or medicine	1964	NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG
James D. Watson, U.S.A. (shared with F. H. C. Crick and M. H. F. Wilkins, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	1962	NIGMS, NIDDK, NCI, DRR, NIAID
John C. Kendrew, U.K. (shared with M. F. Perutz, U.K.)	Chemistry	1962	NIDDK
Melvin Calvin, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1961	DRG, NCI
Peter B. Medawar, U.K. (shared with F. M. Burnet, Australia)	Physiology or medicine	1960	NIAID
Arthur Kornberg, U.S.A. (shared with S. Ochoa, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1959	NIGMS, NIAID, NCI, NIDDK, NIA
Severo Ochoa, U.S.A. (shared with A. Kornberg, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1959	NIDDK, NIGMS, NCI, DRG
George W. Beadle, U.S.A. (shared with J. Lederberg and E. L. Tatum, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1958	NIGMS, NHLBI
Joshua Lederberg, U.S.A. (shared with G. W. Beadle and E. L. Tatum, U.S.A.	Physiology or medicine	1958	NIGMS, NIAID, NINDS, NICHD, DRR, NCI
Edward L. Tatum, U.S.A. (shared with G. W. Beadle and J. Lederberg, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1958	NIGMS, NCI
Dickinson W. Richards, Jr., U.S.A. (shared with A. Cournand, U.S.A., and W. Forssmann, Germany)	Physiology or medicine	1956	NIDDK, NCI, NHLBI, NIGMS
Vincent du Vigneaud, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1955	NHLBI, NCI, NIGMS, DRG
Thomas H. Weller, U.S.A. (shared with J. F. Enders and F. C. Robbins, U.S.A.)	Physiology or medicine	1954	NIAID, NIGMS
Linus C. Pauling, U.S.A.	Chemistry	1954	NIGMS, NHLBI, DRG, NIAID, NCI
Fritz A. Lipmann, U.S.A. (shared with H. A. Krebs, U.K.)	Physiology or medicine	1953	NIGMS, NCI
Philip S. Hench, U.S.A. (shared with E. C. Kendall, U.S.A., and T. Reichstein, Switzerland)	Physiology or medicine	1950	NIGMS
E. O. Lawrence, U.S.A.	Physics	1939	NCI

NIH Scientists

1968 - Dr. Marshall W. Nirenberg, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the key to deciphering the genetic code. Dr. Nirenberg and two other researchers, working independently, with whom he shared the prize, made major advances in understanding the chemical mechanisms by which genetic language or information is translated into various proteins that determine the nature and characteristics of all living things. Dr. Nirenberg was the first NIH Nobelist and also the first Federal employee to receive a Nobel Prize.

1970 - Dr. Julius Axelrod, National Institute of Mental Health, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two scientists from England and Sweden for independent research into the chemistry of nerve transmission. The three were cited for their "discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanisms for their storage, release and inactivation." Specifically, Dr. Axelrod found an enzyme that terminates the action of the nerve transmitter, noradrenaline. He also demonstrated that some antidepressant drugs act by preventing the reuptake of noradrenaline and thus prolong its action in the brain.

1972 - Dr. Christian B. Anfinsen (formerly with the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work "on ribonuclease, especially concerning the connection between the amino acid sequence and the biologically active conformation." Dr. Anfinsen provided the first clue to the structure of ribonuclease by demonstrating that it is comprised of a single polypeptide chain. He and his colleagues at Rockefeller University (with whom he shared the prize) demonstrated that the information required to fold the polypeptide chain of ribonuclease into the specific three-dimensional form of the active enzyme resides in the sequence of amino acids. Therefore, it became clear that this protein could be synthesized in the laboratory by joining the proper amino acids in the correct order and then allowing the chain of amino acids to fold spontaneously. This led to the first synthesis of an enzyme from chemicals in the laboratory. Such studies are basic to an understanding of normal life processes as well as of inherited metabolic diseases.

1976 - Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, of the Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia. They won the award for their discoveries concerning new mechanisms for the origin and dissemination of infectious diseases. Dr. Blumberg was at NIH (with the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases) in the 1960s, and did part of his prizewinning research at NIH.

1994 - Dr. Martin Rodbell, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Dr. G. Alfred Gilman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Rodbell dis- covered in 1970 that signal transmission requires a cellular molecule called GTP. In 1977 Dr. Gillman identified the proteins to which GTP binds and named them "G proteins." They are a family of proteins bound to the cell surface membranes that serve as intermediaries between incoming signals and cellular proteins that respond to these signals. Dr. Rodbell conducted this research while an intramural scientist with the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases (now NIDDK).