Robert Blumenthal

Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program, NCI, NIH, USA

Robert Blumenthal obtained his M.S. degree from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, and his Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry at the Weizmann Institute, Israel, studying mechanisms of active transport across membranes. Following postdoctoral work at the Institute Pasteur and at Columbia University studying molecular mechanisms of membrane excitability in neurons, he came to the NIH and was ultimately recruited by the NCI. In 1978, he was tenured, and in 1980, he became the Chief of the Section on Membrane Structure and Function. In 2005, he was appointed as the Director of the newly established Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program. Dr. Blumenthal is a Member of the NIH-wide Nanotask Force and of the Steering Committee of the Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS & Cancer Virology, CCR. He cochairs the Steering Committee of the first US-China Symposium on Nanomedicine (2008). In addition to having served as an Associate Editor of Membrane Molecular Biology, Dr. Blumenthal has been an ad hoc Study Section Member of several NIH review panels as well as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple international funding agencies. Moreover, he has worked in a wide range of areas in membrane biophysics, which includes membrane fusion, membrane transport, cell surface receptors, immune cytotoxic mechanisms, and use of liposomes for delivery of drugs and genes into cells. His current interest is in the biology of virus and nanoparticle entry into cells and tissues. Dr. Blumenthal is the 2008 recipient of the NIH Merit Award in recognition of his vision and leadership in establishing the CCR Nanobiology Program, which promotes multidisciplinary research in cancer, AIDS, and viral diseases. He also received the NCI Directors’ 2008 Mentor of Merit Award.

Biography Updated on 26 October 2009

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