Constance Tom Noguchi

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Constance Tom Noguchi
Constance Tom Noguchi at NIDDK.jpg
Noguchi at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases circa 2019
Born
Constance Tom

(1948-12-08) December 8, 1948 (age 74)
Guangzhou , China
Education University of California, Berkeley, George Washington University
PartnerPhilip David Noguchi
Scientific career
Institutions National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Constance Tom Noguchi (born December 8, 1948) is a research physicist, Chief of the Molecular Cell Biology Section, and Dean of the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Noguchi studies the underlying genetics, metabolism, and treatment of sickle cell disease and of erythropoietin and its effects on metabolism. [1] [2]

Contents

Noguchi has published over 250 scientific articles with over 9491 citations. [3] Noguchi is one of 21 Asian Americans profiled in Asian American Biographies (1994) for their contributions to the arts, politics, and science. [4] She is the subject of Scientist and puzzle solver, Constance Tom Noguchi (1985). [5]

Early life and education

Constance Tom was born on December 8, 1948, in Guangzhou (Canton, China) to James Tom and Irene Cheung. Her father was a Chinese-American, and the family soon returned to the United States. [6] Constance Tom grew up in San Francisco, California and married Philip David Noguchi in 1969. [7] [8]

Noguchi studied in mathematics and physics at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving her B.Sc. in 1970. She then attended George Washington University where she received her PhD in theoretical nuclear physics in 1975. [4]

Career

Noguchi joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1975, as a fellow with Alan N. Schechter at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Noguchi became a research physicist at NIDDK in 1985. [4] She became Chief of the Molecular Cell Biology Section of NIDDK in 1994, and Dean of the NIH's Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) in 1999. [2] [9]

Noguchi studies the underlying genetics, metabolism, and treatment of sickle cell disease, in particular sickle hemoglobin polymerization. [10] [11] Noguchi has developed methods to measure the severity of sickle cell disease, a disease that affects newborns. By measuring oxygen saturation, total hemoglobin concentration, and hemoglobin composition, she calculates the polymer content of sickle cells. Polymer content can be used to choose treatments and assess their effectiveness. [4] Noguchi has studied hydroxyurea and hemoglobin, showing that hydroxyurea can increase a form of fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell disease. [12] [13] Noguchi has also shown that polymer formation correlates with mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and will vary from patient to patient. [14]

In 1991, Noguchi isolated and cloned the human erythropoietin receptor gene. [15] [16] Erythropoietin is an essential hormone for red blood cell production that is produced by the kidneys and binds to the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR). [17] When a person's erythrocyte count is higher than the normal range for their sex, the disease state erythrocytosis can occur. Erythrocytosis has been linked to a variety of EpoR gene mutations. [18]

Erythropoietin regulation is involved in metabolism in a number of ways, including oxygen delivery, maintenance of white adipose tissue, and the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. [17]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemoglobin</span> Oxygen-transport metalloprotein in red blood cells of most vertebrates

Hemoglobin, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport protein present in red blood cells (erythrocytes) of almost all vertebrates as well as the tissues of some invertebrate animals. Hemoglobin in blood carries oxygen from the respiratory organs to the other tissues of the body, where it releases the oxygen to enable aerobic respiration which powers the animal's metabolism. A healthy human has 12 to 20 grams of hemoglobin in every 100 mL of blood. Hemoglobin is a metalloprotein and chromoprotein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anemia</span> Medical condition

Anemia or anaemia is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. The name is derived from Ancient Greek: ἀναιμία anaimia, meaning 'lack of blood', from ἀν- an-, 'not' and αἷμα haima, 'blood'. When anemia comes on slowly, the symptoms are often vague, such as tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, headaches, and a reduced ability to exercise. When anemia is acute, symptoms may include confusion, feeling like one is going to pass out, loss of consciousness, and increased thirst. Anemia must be significant before a person becomes noticeably pale. Symptoms of anemia depend on how quickly hemoglobin decreases. Additional symptoms may occur depending on the underlying cause. Preoperative anemia can increase the risk of needing a blood transfusion following surgery. Anemia can be temporary or long term and can range from mild to severe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalassemia</span> Medical condition

Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders that result in abnormal hemoglobin. Symptoms depend on the type of thalassemia and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia as thalassemia can affect the production of red blood cells and also affect how long the red blood cells live. Symptoms of anemia include feeling tired and having pale skin. Other symptoms of thalassemia include bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, pulmonary hypertension, and dark urine. Slow growth may occur in children. Symptoms and presentations of thalassemia can change over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nephritis</span> Inflammation of the kidneys

Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycythemia</span> Laboratory diagnosis of high hemoglobin content in blood

Polycythemia is a laboratory finding in which the hematocrit and/or hemoglobin concentration are increased in the blood. Polycythemia is sometimes called erythrocytosis, and there is significant overlap in the two findings, but the terms are not the same: polycythemia describes any increase in hematocrit and/or hemoglobin, while erythrocytosis describes an increase specifically in the number of red blood cells in the blood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fetal hemoglobin</span> Oxygen carrier protein in the human fetus

Fetal hemoglobin, or foetal haemoglobin is the main oxygen carrier protein in the human fetus. Hemoglobin F is found in fetal red blood cells, and is involved in transporting oxygen from the mother's bloodstream to organs and tissues in the fetus. It is produced at around 6 weeks of pregnancy and the levels remain high after birth until the baby is roughly 2–4 months old. Hemoglobin F has a different composition than adult forms of hemoglobin, allowing it to bind oxygen more strongly; this in turn enables the developing fetus to retrieve oxygen from the mother's bloodstream, which occurs through the placenta found in the mother's uterus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydroxycarbamide</span> Medical drug

Hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, is a medication used in sickle-cell disease, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, polycythemia vera, and cervical cancer. In sickle-cell disease it increases fetal hemoglobin and decreases the number of attacks. It is taken by mouth.

Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) or anemia of chronic inflammation is a form of anemia seen in chronic infection, chronic immune activation, and malignancy. These conditions all produce elevation of interleukin-6, which stimulates hepcidin production and release from the liver. Hepcidin production and release shuts down ferroportin, a protein that controls export of iron from the gut and from iron storing cells. As a consequence, circulating iron levels are reduced. Other mechanisms may also play a role, such as reduced erythropoiesis. It is also known as anemia of inflammation, or anemia of inflammatory response.

Hematologic diseases are disorders which primarily affect the blood & blood-forming organs. Hematologic diseases include rare genetic disorders, anemia, HIV, sickle cell disease & complications from chemotherapy or transfusions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycystic kidney disease</span> Congenital disorder of urinary system

Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These cysts may begin to develop in utero, in infancy, in childhood, or in adulthood. Cysts are non-functioning tubules filled with fluid pumped into them, which range in size from microscopic to enormous, crushing adjacent normal tubules and eventually rendering them non-functional as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sickle cell disease</span> Group of genetic blood disorders

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Problems in sickle cell disease typically begin around 5 to 6 months of age. A number of health problems may develop, such as attacks of pain, anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, and stroke. Long-term pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years.

Sickle cell nephropathy is a type of nephropathy associated with sickle cell disease which causes kidney complications as a result of sickling of red blood cells in the small blood vessels. The hypertonic and relatively hypoxic environment of the renal medulla, coupled with the slow blood flow in the vasa recta, favors sickling of red blood cells, with resultant local infarction. Functional tubule defects in patients with sickle cell disease are likely the result of partial ischemic injury to the renal tubules.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is part of the United States National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. NIDDK is approximately the fifth-largest of the 27 NIH institutes. The institute's mission is to support research, training, and communication with the public in the topic areas of "diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutritional disorders, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases". As of 2021, the Director of the institute is Griffin P. Rodgers, who assumed the position on an acting basis in 2006 and on a permanent basis in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffin P. Rodgers</span> American hematologist

Griffin P. Rodgers is the director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, one of the 27 institutes that make up the United States National Institutes of Health. He is also the Chief of the institute's Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch and is known for contributions to research and therapy for sickle cell anemia.

Crizanlizumab, sold under the brand name Adakveo among others, is a monoclonal antibody medication that binds to P-selectin. It is a medication used to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis in people aged 16 years and older who have sickle cell anemia. It is given by injection into a vein.

Attila Szabo is a biophysicist who is a Distinguished Investigator and Section Chief of the Theoretical Biophysical Chemistry Section in the Laboratory of Chemical Physics at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the United States National Institutes of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Eaton (scientist)</span> American biophysicist

William Allen Eaton is a biophysical chemist who is a NIH Distinguished Investigator, Chief of the Section on Biophysical Chemistry, and Chief of the Laboratory of Chemical Physics at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, one of the 20 Institutes of the United States National Institutes of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Charache</span> American hematologist and professor (1930–2019)

Samuel Charache was an American hematologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University. He led the research team that discovered the first effective treatment for sickle cell disease, a painful and sometimes fatal blood disorder that mainly affects people of African ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Goldman Nossal</span> American molecular biologist

Nancy Ruth Goldman Nossal was an American molecular biologist specialized in the study of DNA replication. She was chief of the laboratory of molecular and cellular biology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases from 1992 to 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Livingston, Ivor Lensworth (1994). Handbook of Black American Health: The Mosaic of Conditions, Issues, Policies, and Prospects. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-313-28640-7 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Constance Tom Noguchi, Ph.D." National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Constance Tom Noguchi's research". ResearchGate. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sampson, Mark T. (January 4, 1994). "Biography of NIDDK Scientist Appears in Book" (PDF). The NIH Record. XLVI (1): 1, 7. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Verheyden-Hilliard, Mary Ellen (1985). Scientist and puzzle solver, Constance Tom Noguchi. Bethesda, Md.: Equity Institute. ISBN   9780932469052.
  6. ↑ Yount, Lisa (2007). A to Z of Women in Science and Math. Infobase Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4381-0795-0 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Fort, Deborah C. (1995). A Hand Up: Women Mentoring Women in Science. Association for Women in Science. pp. 88–91. ISBN   978-0-9634590-6-0.
  8. ↑ "Irene Tom Obituary". San Francisco Chronicle. August 1, 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "FAES: NEW TERM, (RELATIVELY) NEW DEAN, NEW COURSES, AND A SEARCH FOR NEW TEACHERS AMONG NIH FELLOWS". The NIH Catalyst. 8 (4). 2000. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Weatherall, David J.; Clegg, J. B. (30 April 2008). The Thalassaemia Syndromes. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 109–111. ISBN   978-0-470-69594-4 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Noguchi, C T; Schechter, A N (1 June 1985). "Sickle Hemoglobin Polymerization in Solution and in Cells". Annual Review of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry. 14 (1): 239–263. doi:10.1146/annurev.bb.14.060185.001323. ISSN   0883-9182. PMID   3890882 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Oakes, Elizabeth H. (2007). Encyclopedia of World Scientists. Infobase Publishing. pp. 547–548. ISBN   978-1-4381-1882-6 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Cokic, Vladan P.; Smith, Reginald D.; Beleslin-Cokic, Bojana B.; Njoroge, Joyce M.; Miller, Jeffery L.; Gladwin, Mark T.; Schechter, Alan N. (15 January 2003). "Hydroxyurea induces fetal hemoglobin by the nitric oxide–dependent activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 111 (2): 231–239. doi:10.1172/JCI16672. PMC   151872 . PMID   12531879.
  14. ↑ Nagel, Ronald L. (13 June 2019). Genetically Abnormal Red Cells: Volume 1. CRC Press. ISBN   978-0-429-55901-3 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  15. ↑ Allouche, Sylvie; Gayon, Jean; Marzano, Michela; Goffette, Jérôme (1 September 2015). Inquiring into Human Enhancement: Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives. Springer. ISBN   978-1-137-53007-3 . Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  16. ↑ Noguchi, CT; Bae, KS; Chin, K; Wada, Y; Schechter, AN; Hankins, WD (15 November 1991). "Cloning of the human erythropoietin receptor gene". Blood. 78 (10): 2548–2556. doi: 10.1182/blood.V78.10.2548.2548 . ISSN   0006-4971. PMID   1668606.
  17. 1 2 Suresh, Sukanya; Rajvanshi, Praveen Kumar; Noguchi, Constance T. (2020). "The Many Facets of Erythropoietin Physiologic and Metabolic Response". Frontiers in Physiology. 10: 1534. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01534 . ISSN   1664-042X. PMC   6984352 . PMID   32038269.
  18. ↑ Mallik, Nabhajit; Das, Reena; Malhotra, Pankaj; Sharma, Prashant (July 2021). "Congenital erythrocytosis". European Journal of Haematology. 107 (1): 29–37. doi: 10.1111/ejh.13632 . ISSN   0902-4441. PMID   33840141. S2CID   233211694.
  19. ↑ "APIAAC Honors Four NIH'ers" (PDF). The NIH Record. XLVII (9): 4. April 25, 1995. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "Noguchi , Schwartz Win Mentoring Awards" (PDF). The NIH Record: 12. May 5, 2001. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
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