Earl W. Sutherland, Jr., M.D.
Professor, Physiology / Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, 1963-1973
Dr. Sutherland’s discovery of adenyl cyclase and cyclic AMP was a seminal contribution and led to the concept of intracellular second messenger signaling. His research linking changes in intracellular enzyme activity to hormones such as glucagon and epinephrine provided a foundation for subsequent decades of work in the areas of hormonal regulation of intracellular metabolism and other processes. These important contributions resulted in election to the National Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1971 for Dr. Sutherland.