Ardem Patapoutian

Ardem Patapoutian (born 1967, Beirut, Lebanon) Lebanese-born American molecular biologist and neuroscientist who was known for his investigations of the molecular basis of mechanoreception, the ability of animals to detect and respond to certain kinds of stimuli, particularly touch and changes in pressure or posture. Among his key discoveries was the identification of ion channels known as Piezo1 and Piezo2, which convert mechanical force into neuronal signals. The discovery of these channels facilitated new insight into how cells respond to mechanical factors, such as stretching and pressure, and the role of those responses in body functions ranging from the regulation of temperature, blood pressure, and urination to reflexes and sensations of pain. For his discoveries, Patapoutian was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with American physiologist David Julius.

In 1986, after a year of studies at the American University of Beirut, Patapoutian emigrated to the United States. There he attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for undergraduate studies, earning a B.S. degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology in 1990. He then enrolled as a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, where he continued his study of transcriptional regulation in developing organisms. In 1996, after completing a Ph.D. in biology, he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. During that time Patapoutian shifted his research focus to developmental programs underlying the specificity of somatosensory neurons involved in the sensations of touch and pain.

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In 2000, having joined the Scripps Research Institute as an assistant professor in cell biology, Patapoutian began investigating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, which had been discovered several years earlier by Julius. Among Patapoutian’s first major discoveries was the identification of the cold-sensing ion channel TRPM8. His research also led to the discovery of TRPA1 (the so-called wasabi receptor), which acts as a sensor for noxious stimuli, including cold and pain.

Patapoutian subsequently focused his efforts on identifying TRP channels that initiate sensations of touch and position and posture (proprioception). After carrying out functional screens in cells, in which individual genes were turned on and off and gene activity was measured in response to piezoelectric mechanical forces, Patapoutian discovered two ion channels that specialize in mechanoreception. The channels became known as Piezo1 and Peizo2. Characterization of the channels identified Piezo2 as the primary transducer for touch, while Piezo1 senses changes in blood flow and has an essential role in vascular development.

In 2017 Patapoutian became a professor of neuroscience at Scripps. In addition to the Nobel Prize, he was a recipient of the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research (2019; with Julius) and the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience (2020; with Julius). He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (elected 2016) and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (elected 2017) and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator (2014– ).