David Julius

David Julius (born November 4, 1955, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) American physiologist known for his discovery of heat- and cold-sensing receptors in the nerve endings of the skin. His elucidation of a receptor known as TRPV1, along with his subsequent contributions to the discovery of additional temperature-sensitive receptor molecules, gave new insight into how the human nervous system senses heat, cold, and pain. His studies of TRPV1 further facilitated research into novel strategies for the treatment of pain. For his breakthroughs, he was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Lebanese-born American molecular biologist and neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian.

Julius studied life sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whence he graduated with a B.S. degree in 1977. He subsequently attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he investigated mechanisms underlying the processing and secretion of peptides in yeast. In 1984, after earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry, Julius went to Columbia University. There, working as a postdoctoral researcher, he applied gene cloning technologies and identified genes belonging to the serotonin receptor family. In 1989 Julius left Columbia to join the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

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At UCSF Julius became interested in ion channels and understanding molecular mechanisms underlying somatosensation, particularly the sensation of pain. At the time, capsaicin, the pungent principle responsible for the burning sensation associated with red peppers (Capsicum), had been recently identified as an excitatory, or activating, compound at certain somatosensory neurons. However, the specific receptor to which capsaicin bound to produce the burning sensation was unknown. Using gene cloning strategies, Julius was able to uncover a receptor in the skin that responded to heat. He subsequently isolated the molecule and identified it as an ion channel, which he called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1).

Julius later contributed to the discovery of other temperature-sensitive ion channels, which became known as the transient receptor potential, or TRP, channel family. Included in the TRP channel family was the first cold-sensing receptor to be discovered, TRPM8 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8), which Julius helped characterize. Together with Chinese-born biophysicist and structural biologist Yifan Cheng, Julius also deduced the structures of TRP channels, notably TRPV1 and TRPA1 (the latter sometimes also called the wasabi receptor) in near-atomic detail by using cryogenic electron microscopy. The discovery and characterization of TRP channels enabled new understanding of how temperature triggers electrical signaling and sensation in the nervous system.

In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize, Julius received the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine (2010), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2017), the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience (2020; shared with Patapoutian), and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2020). He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (elected 2004) and a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (elected 2021).