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Michael B. Sporn

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Michael B. Sporn
Born(1933-02-15)15 February 1933
New York, New York[3]
Died29 September 2022(2022-09-29) (aged 89)[4]
Alma mater
Spouse(s)Catherine Sporn, 1956-2009[7][8]
ChildrenThomas, Paul[9]
Scientific career
FieldsDrug discovery and development; cancer research and prevention
Institutions
[2]

Michael B. Sporn (February 15, 1933 – September 9, 2022)[10] was an American cancer researcher and professor of pharmacology, toxicology and medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. He is credited with discovering transforming growth factor beta and is recognized for his research into cancer prevention and drug development.[11][12][13]

He is noted for coining the term "chemoprevention" and for his advocacy of conceptualizing cancer as a chronic condition and treating it prior to carcinogenesis.[14][15]

Early life and education

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Michael B. Sporn was born in New York city on February 15, 1933, to Sadie and Philip Sporn.[16][17][18] He attended high school at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx.[19] He then attended Harvard University, and was accepted to medical school after completing his junior year. He received his MD at the University of Rochester in 1959 with Omega Alpha honors.[20][21]

Career and scientific contributions

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Sporn began his professional career in 1960 at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, where he became Chief of the Lung Cancer Branch in 1970. Discoveries made by the lab during his tenure were credited with establishing the field of retinoids.[18] The term chemoprevention was first proposed by Sporn to describe compounds that can prevent oncogenesis.[22]

In 1978, he was appointed Chief of the Laboratory of Chemoprevention, a position which he held until 1995.[20][23] His research during this period covered subjects such as the study of nucleic acids, the biochemistry of retinoids, and the study of peptide growth factor which lead to the discovery of transforming growth factor beta along with Anita Roberts.[23]

In 1995, he accepted a professorship at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, where his research focused on the design and development of synthetic triterpenoid drugs with applications for cancer and other chronic illnesses.[13][24] The Sporn Laboratory at Dartmouth synthesized a class of molecules called synthetic oleanane terpenoids, which have applications in both the prevention and treatment of cancer.[25][26] He also developed a type of ligand known as rexinoids with potential application for gene control related to inflammation, proliferation, and differentiation of cancerous cells.[27][28]

He is listed as an author on over 600 peer-reviewed research papers[18] and his 1988 research on transforming growth factor beta has been cited more than 1,400 times.[29] He is also listed as an author on 61 US patents[30][31] and his work has been cited in thousands of other patents.[32]

A number of institutions and organizations funded his work, including the National Institute of Health and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.[13][33]

Contributions to drug development

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Sporn's work has been recognized as leading to the development of tretinoin, which is also known as Altinac, AVITA, Refissa, Retin-A, and Tretin-X.[34][35] His inventor patents at Dartmouth include the discovery of first generation synthetic triterpenoid CDDO and second generation synthetic triterpenoid CDDO Methyl Ester, also known as bardoxolone methyl.[31] Sporn's research also contributed to the development of omaveloxolone, the first synthetic oleanane triterpenoid approved by Food and Drug Administration.[36]

In 2018, Sporn founded Triterpenoid Therapeutics, Inc. to test his discoveries and bring them to market.[37]

Research philosophy

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Sporn has been called the "father of chemoprevention" both because of the applications of a number of his discoveries in preventing cancer,[38] and because of his advocacy for preventative treatment for cancer.[14][37]

Throughout his career, Sporn challenged the understanding of cancer as a static condition, arguing instead that it should be viewed as a chronic disease and a process. He advocated for giving more attention to prophylaxis and treatment of early-stage cancer as opposed to curing late-stage cancer.[37]

Awards

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Publications

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  • 1990. Peptide Growth Factors and their Receptors I, with Anita B. Roberts, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. 1st Edition. ISBN 9780387976945
  • 1990. Peptide Growth Factors and their Receptors II, with Anita B. Roberts, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. 1st Edition. ISBN 9783642747816
  • 1984. The Retinoids, Volume I, with Anita B. Roberts and Dewitt S. Goodman, University of Michigan: Academic Press. ISBN 9780126581010
  • 1994. The Retinoids, Volume II, with Anita B. Roberts and Dewitt S. Goodman, University of Michigan: Academic Press. ISBN 9780781700825

References

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  1. ^ "Pioneering Geisel School of Medicine Cancer Researcher Michael B. Sporn Dies". Geisel News. 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  2. ^ "Individual Champion/Changemaker". prevention.cancer.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  3. ^ "Michael B. Sporn". American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  4. ^ "Michael B. Sporn". American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  5. ^ "Michael B. Sporn". American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  6. ^ "Michael B. Sporn". American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  7. ^ "Obituaries: Catherine 'Kitte' Sporn Hospital Administrator". The Washington Post. 2009. Retrieved 7 Nov 2018.
  8. ^ http://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/sporn/pdf/sporn_cv_2014.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  9. ^ "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Dartmouth Geisel Medical School. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "Michael B. Sporn". American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  11. ^ "Michael Sporn: A pioneer in prevention and a unique and special friend | Cancerworld Magazine". 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  12. ^ "Pioneering Geisel School of Medicine Cancer Researcher Michael B. Sporn Dies". Geisel News. 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  13. ^ a b c "Michael B. Sporn, M.D." NFCR. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  14. ^ a b Leaf, Clifton (2013). The truth in small doses: why we're losing the war on cancer-and how to win it. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-3998-4.
  15. ^ Nazaryan, Alexander (2013-06-30). "World War Cancer". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  16. ^ "Philip Sporn, Electrical Engineer; Led American Power Company". The New York Times. 1978-01-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  17. ^ "PHILIP SPORN 1896-1978". NAE Website. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  18. ^ a b c "Michael Sporn Obituary (1933 - 2022) - Tunbridge, VT - The Washington Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  19. ^ "Changing the World One "Horace Mann-er" at a Time" (PDF). Horace Mann Magazine. 5 (1). October 24, 2009.
  20. ^ a b "Faculty Expertise Database – Michael B. Sporn, MD – Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth". geiselmed.dartmouth.edu.
  21. ^ "In Memoriam". Alpha Omega Alpha. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  22. ^ "Recent advances in chemoprevention of cancer". Science. doi:10.1126/science.278.5340.1073. PMID 9353183.
  23. ^ a b "Individual Champion/Changemaker". prevention.cancer.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  24. ^ Liby, Karen T.; Sporn, Michael B. (October 2012). Esbenshade, Timothy A. (ed.). "Synthetic Oleanane Triterpenoids: Multifunctional Drugs with a Broad Range of Applications for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease". Pharmacological Reviews. 64 (4): 972–1003. doi:10.1124/pr.111.004846. ISSN 0031-6997. PMC 3462991. PMID 22966038.
  25. ^ Sporn, Michael B.; Liby, Karen T.; Yore, Mark M.; Fu, Liangfeng; Lopchuk, Justin M.; Gribble, Gordon W. (2011-03-25). "New Synthetic Triterpenoids: Potent Agents for Prevention and Treatment of Tissue Injury Caused by Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress". Journal of Natural Products. 74 (3): 537–545. doi:10.1021/np100826q. ISSN 0163-3864. PMC 3064114. PMID 21309592.
  26. ^ "Sporn Laboratory :: Research". geiselmed.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  27. ^ Liby, Karen T.; Yore, Mark M.; Sporn, Michael B. (May 2007). "Triterpenoids and rexinoids as multifunctional agents for the prevention and treatment of cancer". Nature Reviews Cancer. 7 (5): 357–369. doi:10.1038/nrc2129. ISSN 1474-175X.
  28. ^ Liby, Karen T.; Sporn, Michael B. (2016-06-16). "Rexinoids for prevention and treatment of cancer: opportunities and challenges". Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. ISSN 1873-4294. PMID 27320330.
  29. ^ "Michael B. Sporn | Scholar Profiles and Rankings". ScholarGPS. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  30. ^ "Google Patents". patents.google.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  31. ^ a b "Michael B. Sporn Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  32. ^ "Obituary for Michael B. Sporn at Boardway & Cilley Funeral Home". www.boardwayandcilley.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  33. ^ "Michael B. Sporn | Researcher". 23 June 2014.
  34. ^ "Isotretinoin's discovery and development". Dermatology Times. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  35. ^ "Journal". Symbiosis. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  36. ^ Kania, Krzysztof; Kania, Joanna; Niekurzak, Karolina; Jędrak, Maciej; Józefiak, Maciej; Sobkiewicz, Piotr (2023-08-08). "FDA Approves Omaveloxolone based on Successful Moxie Trial Results for Friedreich's Ataxia - Review". Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 40 (1): 111–126. doi:10.12775/JEHS.2023.40.01.010. ISSN 2391-8306.
  37. ^ a b c CPI (2020-08-05). "Expert interview with Michael B. Sporn, MD, the "Father of Chemoprevention", on cancer prevention". Cancer Prevention Initiative, Inc. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  38. ^ Stoller, Robyn (2017-01-31). "Blog | 8 Proactive Cancer-Preventing Pointers". NFCR. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  39. ^ "Michael B. Sporn, MD".
  40. ^ "Innovation Prizes Presented at Virtual Entrepreneurs Forum". Dartmouth Engineering. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
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