Tom Maniatis, PhD
Isidore S. Edelman Professor & Chairman, Biochemistry & Molecular Physics
Columbia University

Tom Maniatis is one of the pioneers of modern molecular biology, having led the development of recombinant DNA methods and their application to the study of the mechanisms of gene regulation. He coauthored the definitive laboratory manual on genetic engineering, the Molecular Cloning Manual, along with Joe Sambrook and Ed Fritsch in 1982. This three-volume manual published by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory set a standard for international dissemination of recombinant DNA methods. Dr. Maniatis’ research has led to major advances in understanding the mechanisms of gene expression at the level of RNA transcription and splicing. His research contributions have been acknowledged by membership in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and by numerous awards, including, the Eli Lilly Research Award in Microbiology and Immunology, the Novartis Drew Award in Biomedical Research, the Richard Lounsbery Award for Biology and Medicine, and the Scientific Achievement Award of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Maniatis cofounded three biotechnology companies in the past 30 years, including the Genetics Institute, which produced several FDA-approved recombinant proteins, (erythropoietin, recombinant factor VIII and IX and bone morphogenic proteins), ProScript, where the cancer drug Velcade was invented, and Acceleron, which develops drugs for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Acceleron and Constellation Pharma, and a science partner at The Column Group, a biotechnology venture firm. Dr. Maniatis’ contributions to biotechnology were recognized by the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine, awarded jointly with Dr. William Rutter and Dr. David Goeddel.

Dr. Maniatis is a member of the Jackson Laboratory Board of Trustees, and has served on the Board of Trustees of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He currently serves on the Rockefeller University Committee on Scientific Affairs and is a former member of the Board of Scientific Consultants, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

After receiving his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his PhD in molecular biology from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Maniatis did postdoctoral studies at Harvard and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He subsequently spent 30 years in teaching and research at Harvard University, where he served as chairman of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Dr. Maniatis recently moved to his current position at the Columbia University Medical Center.