Dr. Jeffrey Friedman is a world-renowned molecular geneticist and pioneering leader in the field of obesity research who currently serves as the Marilyn M. Simpson Professor at The Rockefeller University and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He directs the Starr Center for Human Genetics and has maintained his affiliation with Rockefeller University since 1980, earning his PhD there in 1986 after completing medical training at Albany Medical College. Dr. Friedman received his MD in 1977 and completed his residency in Internal Medicine before transitioning to research, establishing himself as a physician-scientist uniquely positioned to bridge clinical medicine and molecular genetics. His career trajectory from medical resident to HHMI Investigator in 1997 represents a remarkable journey of scientific discovery that has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of metabolic regulation.
Dr. Friedman's groundbreaking discovery of the hormone leptin in 1994 revolutionized the field of obesity research when he and his colleagues successfully isolated the mouse ob gene and its human homologue, demonstrating that injections of the encoded protein dramatically reduce body weight by regulating both food intake and energy expenditure. His seminal work established that leptin functions as a critical adipocyte hormone in a feedback loop maintaining body weight, with mutations causing severe obesity that can be treated with leptin replacement therapy. This paradigm-shifting research has had profound clinical implications, leading to FDA approval of leptin for treating lipodystrophy and providing crucial insights into the genetic basis of obesity in humans. Dr. Friedman's contributions have fundamentally transformed obesity from being viewed as a behavioral issue to being understood as a complex neuroendocrine disorder with genetic underpinnings.
Beyond his landmark discovery, Dr. Friedman continues to drive the field forward through innovative research on the neural mechanisms of leptin signaling, fat innervation, and genetic studies of metabolic disorders in human populations. His laboratory's recent work on leptin gene regulation, including the identification of fat-specific long non-coding RNAs like LncOb, has opened new avenues for understanding obesity with low leptin levels. As a mentor and scientific leader, Dr. Friedman has trained numerous researchers who have gone on to establish independent careers in metabolism research, while his work has earned him election to the National Academy of Sciences and multiple prestigious international awards. His ongoing investigations into the genetic architecture of obesity and the hypothalamic circuits controlling energy balance continue to illuminate potential therapeutic pathways for treating metabolic disorders worldwide.
