Birth: August 7, 1947
Specialty: Molecular Biology
Major Contributions:
Part of the research team reporting the first synthesis of mammalian insulin in bacterial cells
Contributed to the discovery that a molecule known to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease causes degeneration of brain cells
Founding member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
Image: Anthony L. Komaroff (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Inspired at an early age to become a chemist, Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff’s scientific work in molecular biology has fundamentally changed the treatment of diabetes.
Beginning college as a chemistry major, she found herself struggling with her courses and went to her advisor for help. At this point she was told, “Of course you are struggling, women don’t belong in chemistry.” And at first, she believed this man and switched her major a few times trying to find her place. After switching schools entirely, Villa-Komaroff earned her Bachelor of Science in biology from Goucher College.
Completing graduate work in molecular biology at MIT, she earned her doctorate in cell biology in 1975. While at MIT she was a founding member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, an organization that champions the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
As a post-doctoral researcher at Harvard, she was working with recombinant DNA technology but found that her task was impossible and met with a string of failures. Not daunted she stated that the experience taught her that “most experiments fail, and that scientists must accept failure as a part of the process.”
In 1977 she joined the insulin cloning team at Harvard and the next year she was the first to publish a report showing that bacteria could be induced to make proinsulin. This development would be the first time a mammalian hormone was synthesized by bacteria and is considered a milestone in the birth of the biotechnology industry. This process has led to the production of recombinant human insulin used by most patients for the treatment of diabetes.
Continuing her research and teaching at major universities, Dr. Villa-Komaroff was featured in a PBS documentary called DNA Detective in 1995. She served as the Chief Science Officer and CEO at Cytonome, Inc. before staring her own company, Intersections SBD Consulting, continuing her work in advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Written by Angela Goad
Sources:
From Scientific Exile To Gene Editing Pioneer
LinkedIn: Lydia Villa-Komaroff
Lydia Villa-Komaroff Learned in the Lab “What It Might Be Like to Fly”
Celebrate All Scientists: Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff
See Also:
Wikipedia: Lydia Villa-Komaroff
How I Became a Scientist: Lydia Villa-Komaroff