View source for Ulrich K. Laemmli

{{Short description|Swiss biochemist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Ulrich K. Laemmli
| image             =
| birth_date        = {{birth year and age|1940}}
| birth_place       = [[Schaffhausen]], [[Switzerland]]
| nationality       = Swiss
| field             = [[Biochemistry]]
| workplaces        = [[University of Geneva]]
| alma_mater        =
| doctoral_advisor  =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for         = [[SDS-PAGE]]
| prizes            = {{no wrap|[[Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine]] (1996)<br />[[Marcel Benoist Prize]] (1988)}}
}}
'''Ulrich K. Laemmli''' (born 1940), real name Lämmli, is a Professor in the biochemistry and molecular biology departments at [[University of Geneva]]. He is known for the refinement of [[SDS-PAGE]], a widely used method for separating [[protein]]s based on their [[electrophoresis|electrophoretic]] mobility.<ref name="nature">{{cite journal
|author= Laemmli UK
|title= Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4
|journal= Nature
|volume=227
|issue=5259
|pages=680–685
|date=August 1970
|pmid=5432063
|doi= 10.1038/227680a0 |s2cid= 3105149
}}</ref> His paper describing the method is among the most cited scholarly journal articles of all time.<ref name="bioinfo">{{cite web|url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:125|title=Bio Infobank Library-Kinetics|publisher=BioInfoBank Institute|access-date=9 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="garfield1">{{cite web|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/papers/eval_of_science_oslo.html|title=THE USE OF JOURNAL IMPACT FACTORS AND CITATION ANALYSIS FOR EVALUATION OF SCIENCE|last=Garfield|first=Eugene|year=1998|publisher=The Scientist|access-date=9 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="garfield">{{cite journal|last=Garfield|first=Eugene|date=12 February 1990|title=The most cited papers of all time|journal=Current Comments|volume=13|issue=7|pages=2–14|url=http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v13p045y1990.pdf|access-date=9 January 2010}}</ref> His current research involves studying the structural organization of [[Cell nucleus|nuclei]] and [[chromatin]] within the cell.<ref name="unige">{{cite web|url=http://www.molbio.unige.ch/eng/research_groups/laemmli/lab |title=PROFESSOR ULRICH K. LAEMMLI|date=17 October 2008|publisher=Département de biologie moléculaire - Université de Genève|access-date=7 January 2010|location=Geneva, Switzerland}}</ref>
==Career==
Laemmli received a PhD in 1969 at the [[University of Geneva]] under Eduard Kellenberger.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prizes |url=https://lifesciencesphd.unige.ch/events/prizes |website=Events, seminars, students' life |publisher=University of Geneva Faculties of Medicine and Science |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> His thesis was titled "The assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Laemmli |first1=U. K. |last2=Quittner |first2=F. |title=Maturation of the head of bacteriophage T4: IV. The proteins of the core of the tubular polyheads and ''in vitro'' cleavage of the head proteins |journal=Virology |date=1974 |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=483–499 |doi=10.1016/0042-6822(74)90409-7 |pmid=4432376 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0042682274904097 |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> He conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at the [[MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology]] under [[Aaron Klug]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Jonathan |title=Ulrich Laemmli's development of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis |url=https://fnl.mit.edu/ulrich-laemmlis-development-of-sds-polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoresis/ |website=MIT Faculty Newsletter |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>
==Major scientific contributions==
Although electrophoresis was used to separate proteins before Laemmli's work, he made significant improvements to the method. The term "Laemmli buffer" is often used to describe an SDS-containing buffer that is used to prepare (denature) samples for SDS-PAGE.<ref name="nature"/><ref name="encorbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.encorbio.com/protocols/SDS-PAGE.htm|title=SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)|year=2010|publisher=EnCor Biotechnology Inc. |access-date=9 January 2010|location=Gainesville, FL}}</ref>
==Awards and honors==
* [[Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine]] – 1996<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.jeantet.ch/e/prize/laureatss.php# |title = The winners of the Louis-Jeantet Prize for medicine|publisher = Louis-Jeante Foundation |access-date = 14 October 2009}}</ref>
* Elected fellow of the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] – 2006<ref name="AAASFellow">{{cite journal|last=LEMPINEN|first=EDWARD W. |date=24 November 2006|title=AAAS Members Elected as Fellows|journal=Science|publisher=AAAS|volume=314|pages=1256–60 [1258] | doi = 10.1126/science.314.5803.1256|url=https://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/314/5803/1256.pdf|access-date=7 January 2009|issue=5803|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaas.org/publications/annual_report/2006/aaas_annualreport06.pdf|title=2006 annual report|year=2006|publisher=AAAS|pages=22|access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://oa.mg/author/ulrich-k-laemmli-A258089896 Ulrich K. Laemmli's publication list]
* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&term=Laemmli%20U%20 Laemmli ''et al'' publications on Pubmed]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laemmli, Ulrich K.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Swiss biochemists]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Geneva]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
{{switzerland-scientist-stub}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:People from Schaffhausen]]