Aaron I. Vinik

Last updated
Aaron I. Vinik
Born1937
DiedJune 15, 2023
Norfolk, Virginia

Aaron I. Vinik was a South African and American physician-scientist who contributed to the studies of clinical neuropathy and neuroendocrine tumors (NETS). [1] He is credited with having discovered both the Islet Neogenesis Associated Protein (INGAP) gene responsible for stimulating immature cells in the diabetic pancreas to produce insulin and the chemical substance ilotropin. [2] [3] For his work Vinik earned the American College of Endocrinology (AACE) Distinction in Endocrinology Award and a professorship in his name at Eastern Virginia Medical School. [4] [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Aaron Israel Vinik was born in 1937 in Van Ryan, Transvaal, South Africa. His parents were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from Lithuania ("Litvaks") who had fled the antisemitic sociopolitical climate of Eastern Europe. In South Africa, the Vinik family became shopkeepers, and whilst living in the town of Benoni Aaron excelled in academics and sports. Encouraged to pursue education, he entered medical school at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 1955, where he proved a skilled football and pinball player. Vinik married literature student Etta Fram in December 1959. [6]

Career

Vinik concluded his chief residency at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, and began his research in the treatment of patients with hyperthyroidism in the Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and diabetes at the University of Cape Town. The focus of his doctoral thesis was the study of fatty acid metabolism in individuals with hyperthyroidism. [7] Vinik later held a position as a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Pathology, and in collaboration with Septimus Matthys Joubert, studied the role of human growth hormone in clinical disease and diabetes. [8]

During a visiting fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco, Vinik studied chorionic somatomammotropin. [9] A brief return to South Africa saw scholarly output on the physiology of enteroendocrine hormones and diabetics with pancreaitis. He moved to the United States and became a professor of Internal Medicine and Surgery at the University of Michigan. His work there contributed to the understanding of treating patients with somatostatin analogues. [10] In later years, Vinik was director of the Strelitz Diabetes Center at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a board member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. [11] [12]

In 1996, under his direction, scientists at the Strelitz Diabetes Center at Eastern Virginia Medical School discovered a gene they termed INGAP. [13] Developments in medical research identified the potential of this gene for therapies and a possible cure for diabetes. [14] [15]

Vinik holds patents, including for NutriNerve, a natural supplement that helps the body repair itself on a cellular level. [16] [17]

Personal life

Aaron Vinik and his wife Etta were married for 64 years until his death. [18] His wife was often a partner to his work, including in the development of a Quality of Life fatigue tool. [19] They had three sons: Howard is a businessman, Bryan is an endocrinologist who specializes in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic disorders, and Steven is a wealth management executive. [20] [21]

References

  1. ↑ "Aaron I. Vinik, MD, PhD, FCP, MACP Eastern Virginia Medical School Director of Research and Neuroendocrine Unit, Murray Waitzer Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research at the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center". nanets.net/. North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ Lieb, David; Parson, Henri; Casellini, Carolina; Siraj, Elias (December 2023). "In Memoriam: Aaron I. Vinik, MD, PhD (1937 – 2023): The Quintessential Physician Scientist and Leader in Diabetic Neuropathy and Neuroendocrine Tumors". Endocrine Practice. 29 (12): 931. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2023.11.003 . Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ Strelitz Diabetes Institutes. "Aaron I. Vinik, MD, PhD, FCP, FACP". ASNDI.ORG. Association of Diabetes Investigators. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ "In Memoriam: Aaron I. Vinik, MD, PhD, FCP, MACP, FACE". American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  5. ↑ EVMS News (19 April 2022). "New endowed professorship honors Dr. Aaron Vinik". Pulse Newsroom - Eastern Virginia Medical School. Eastern Virginia Medical School. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Auerbach, Geraldine. "Aaron (Arthur) Vinik Endocrinologist/Clinician Neuroscientist Scholar/Author/ Educator" (PDF). JewishGen KehilaLinks. JewishGen. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Vinik, Aaron (February 1970). "Studies on raised free fatty acids in hyperthyroidism" . Metabolism. 19 (2): 93–101. doi:10.1016/S0026-0495(70)90158-7. PMID   5410945.
  8. ↑ Vinik, A.I.; Joffe, B.I.; Joubert, S.M.; Jackson, W.P.U. (1 July 1970). "Growth hormone response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in diabetes secondary to chronic calcific pancreatitis". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 31 (1): 86–88. doi:10.1210/jcem-31-1-86. PMID   5425053.
  9. ↑ Vinik, A.I.; Kaplan, S.L.; Grumbach, M.M. (3 April 1973). "Purification, Characterization and Comparison of Immunological Properties of Monkey Chorionic Somatomammotropin with Human and Monkey Growth Hormone, Human Chorionic Somatomammotropin and Ovine Prolactin" . Endocrinology. 92 (4): 1051–1064. doi:10.1210/endo-92-4-1051. PMID   4631305.
  10. ↑ Botha, J.L.; Vinik, A.I.; Child, P.; Lund, A.; van Tonder, S. (Dec 10, 1977). "The effect of somatostatin on epinephrine induced free fatty acid release in normal man". South African Medical Journal. 52 (25): 995–997. PMID   607511.
  11. ↑ Steenhuysen, Julie. "Cholesterol drugs act against diabetic nerve pain". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Freed, Steve (26 December 2017). "Aaron Vinik Part 8, Final Thoughts". diabetesincontrol.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Knight-Ridder News Service (May 4, 1997). "Virginia researchers report isolating gene that spurs production of insulin Discovery could help in treatment of diabetes". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Aaron I. Vinik MD, Ph.D. Director of research and neuroendocrine unit, Eastern Virginia Medical Schools Strelitz Diabetes Center". The Virginian Pilot. February 18, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. ↑ Nano, Eni; Rosenberg, Lawrence; Petropavlovskaia, Maria (June 2021). "Islet neogenesis associated protein (INGAP) protects pancreatic β cells from IL-1β and IFNγ-induced apoptosis". Cell Death Discovery. 7 (1): e96. doi:10.1038/s41420-021-00441-z. PMC   6898950 . PMID   20587716.
  16. ↑ "Aaron I. Vinik Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications". patents.justia. Justia. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  17. ↑ Chillemi, Stacey (21 July 2016). "NutriNerve: Breakthrough for Neuropathy". HuffPost. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "Dr. Aaron Israel Vinik". Jewish News VA. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  19. ↑ Vinik, Etta; Vinik, Aaron; Paulson, James; Merkies, Ingemar; Packman, Jeff; Grogan, Donna; Coelho, Tessa (2014). "Norfolk QOL-DN: validation of a patient reported outcome measure in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy". Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System. 19 (2): 104–114. doi:10.1111/jns5.12059. PMID   24738700.
  20. ↑ Boca Raton Observer (December 23, 2022). "Castle Connolly Private Health Partners" . Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  21. ↑ Burroughes, Tom. "StanChart Investment Advisory Head In North Asia Leaves". WealthBriefing. Clearview Publishing. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.