Keywords
Roger Guillemin
hypothalamus
neuropeptides
anterior pituitary gland
releasing hormones
inhibitory hormones
analogues
cancer therapy
diabetes treatment
history of medicine
How to Cite
Abstract
Purpose: This narrative review seeks to build on and summarize the story of Andrew Schally and Roger Guillemin, who isolated, demonstrated their function and structure, and then synthesized the hypothalamic peptides that control the adenohypophysis. In an anecdotical way, I summarize my experience with the Tulane-VA endocrine group.
Content: The life and work of these researchers who were influenced during their apprenticeship by well-known figures in science, Harris and Selye among others are described. They worked together at first, but then separately (one at Tulane, the other at Baylor) in a decade of competitive research on hypothalamic hormones, the results of which led to their winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1977. In the two groups, there were important researchers that also made valuable investigations in neuropeptides.
Contributions: The studies of these two scientists, and the group of important collaborators who worked with them, began the production of neuropeptides and analogues that are fundamental in certain diagnostic processes or in therapeutics for many diseases, particularly diabetes and cancer.
References
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