As a science-based organization, NIH has fostered countless discoveries.Known for his groundbreaking work in the metabolism of isolated fat cells, Martin Rodbell also discovered G-proteins and the principles of signal transduction in cellular communication.Through his work with the pineal gland, Julius Axelrod detected the actions of neurotransmitters in regulating the metabolism of the nervous system. The discovery of Marshall Nirenberg and Heinrich Matthaei that messenger RNA is required for protein synthesis led to Nirenberg’s role in breaking the genetic code that governs all life processes.Thanks to these researchers and the nearly 100 other Nobel Prize winning scientists supported by NIH, critical discoveries have benefited the lives of past, present and future generations.
![Illustration by J.W. Stewart, Copyright 2003](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090505211525im_/http://nihlibrary.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5FDEA962-7A50-4CBE-A61F-4EB60349A257/0/toDiscover.jpg)