title: Vincent du Vigneaud: following the sulfur trail to the discovery of the hormones of the posterior pituitary gland at Cornell Medical College.
abstract: In 1955, Vincent du Vigneaud (1901-1978), the chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at Cornell University Medical College, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his research on insulin and for the first synthesis of the posterior pituitary hormones-oxytocin and vasopressin. His tremendous contribution to organic chemistry, which began as an interest in sulfur-containing compounds, paved the way for a better understanding of the pituitary gland and for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for diseases of the pituitary. His seminal research continues to impact neurologists, endocrinologists, and neurosurgeons, and enables them to treat patients who had no alternatives prior to du Vigneaud's breakthroughs in peptide structure and synthesis. The ability of neurosurgeons to aggressively operate on parasellar pathology was directly impacted and related to the ability to replace these hormones after surgery. The authors review the life and career of Vincent du Vigneaud, his groundbreaking discoveries, and his legacy of the understanding and treatment of the pituitary gland in health and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Sackler Brain and Spine Center;
authors.forename: Malte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ottenhausen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Sackler Brain and Spine Center;
authors.forename: Imithri
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bodhinayake
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Sackler Brain and Spine Center;
authors.forename: Matei A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Banu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Sackler Brain and Spine Center;
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Stieg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Sackler Brain and Spine Center;|Department of Otolaryngology; and.|Department of Neuroscience, Brain and Mind Institute, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Theodore H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D049673:History, 20th Century; D009613:Nobel Prize; D010909:Pituitary Hormones, Posterior / Q000266:history*; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000266:history; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010909:Pituitary Hormones, Posterior; D013457:Sulfur Compounds
keywords: Nobel Prize; Vincent du Vigneaud; chemistry; history; oxytocin; pituitary; vasopressin