 Print page |
 Email page |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 5, 2004 |
Media Contact: Melanie Caudron melanie.caudron@verizon.net |
Antonio Bianco, MD, PhD, Awarded
American Thyroid Association’s Van Meter Award
(FALLS CHURCH, VA)—Antonio C. Bianco, MD, PhD, of Boston, was honored with the American Thyroid Association’s (ATA) prestigious 2004 Van Meter Award on Oct. 1, 2004, during the ATA 76th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Established in 1930, the Van Meter Award honors an investigator who has made outstanding contributions to research on the thyroid gland. The award is the ATA’s oldest and most anticipated because it is kept secret until the recipient presents a major lecture at the ATA Annual Meeting. Dr. Bianco’s lecture was titled, “Control of Thyroid Hormone Activation by Ubiquitination and Deubiquitination.” The award is supported in part by Quest Diagnostics, Inc.
During his lecture, Dr. Bianco discussed iodothyronine deiodinases, and how this molecular process can activate or inactivate thyroid hormone. He spoke about recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of thyroid hormone activation by the iodothyronine deiodinases, of which the main one is an enzyme called D2. His studies have shown that this enzyme is regulated primarily by ubiquitination, a critical process in eukaryotic cells — those with a nucleus like in plants and animals — by which the function and fate of proteins may be altered. The critical components involved in D2 ubiquitination have been identified in Dr. Bianco’s laboratory. “This highly dynamic, reversible mechanism integrates developmental, environmental, and homeostatic signals to control the availability of the biologically active thyroid hormone,” he emphasized.
Dr. Bianco’s basic research interests have been in the cellular and molecular physiology of the iodothyronine deiodinases and thyroid hormone-induced energy expenditure, about which he has contributed with over 110 papers, chapters, and review articles.
He received his medical degree from Santa Casa Medical School in São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Bianco was an Assistant Professor at the University of São Paulo, where he later received a masters degree. He spent two years at the Thyroid Division of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 1988, Dr. Bianco received his Ph.D. in human physiology at the University of São Paulo and became Associate Professor of Physiology at the school four years later. From 1988 to 1998, he was an Investigator of the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa. Dr. Bianco then immigrated to the United States to work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Three years later, he became Director of Research and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he remains currently.
Throughout his career, Dr. Bianco has maintained an active role in training many basic and clinical scientists in the thyroid field who now occupy faculty positions. He also served as secretary of the Latin American Thyroid Society for six years. Dr. Bianco has been recognized by numerous honors, including the Manuel de Abreu Prize of the Santa Casa Medical School and the LATS Prize of the Latin American Thyroid Society.
The American Thyroid Association, www.thyroid.org, is the North American professional society for physicians and researchers specializing in diseases of the thyroid gland. The ATA promotes excellence and innovation in clinical care, research, education, and public advocacy.
# # #
