News Release

Welch Award honors McConnell for insights into physical chemistry, cell membranes

$300,000 prize salutes lifetime contributions to basic research

Grant and Award Announcement

The Welch Foundation

HOUSTON, May 30, 2002 – Thanks in part to the pioneering work of Stanford University’s Harden McConnell, scientists are beginning to understand a number of fundamental molecular properties of cell membranes, including those related to the regulation of cholesterol and the activation of the body’s immune system. Today, The Welch Foundation announced that Dr. McConnell will receive its 2002 Welch Award, a $300,000 prize given for lifetime achievements in basic chemical research, in recognition of his contributions.

Dr. McConnell, the Robert Eckles Swain Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at Stanford University, has made significant discoveries related to cellular behavior at the molecular level by applying physical chemical principles to problems of ongoing interest in biological and medical research. For example, he has increased our understanding of the interactions between cholesterol and the fatty acid chains of phospholipids, and the reactions between proteins and peptides by which the body activates its immune system.

“These discoveries set the stage for further research that will bring new insights into immune surveillance and in understanding the function of cholesterol in cells,” says Richard J. V. Johnson, chairman, The Welch Foundation. “The achievements of Dr. McConnell exemplify the guiding principle of The Welch Foundation and the spirit of the Welch Award: basic research in chemistry that contributes to the betterment of humankind.”

“Dr. McConnell has made a series of pioneering discoveries concerning the physical state of liquid membranes, providing principles used every day by many scientists,” says Norman Hackerman, chairman of the Welch Scientific Advisory Board. “His combination of physical chemistry and biology has immediate relevance to contemporary research on cell membranes.”

Dr. McConnell’s first breakthrough came when he applied quantum mechanical methods to chemical problems, developing theoretical methods for relating nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data to the structure of molecules. He modified the equations governing NMR to include the effects of chemical reactions, and used the results to measure chemical kinetics, i.e., the speed at which reactions take place. He has also pioneered research on free radicals – an extremely reactive type of chemical that occurs in chemical and biological settings; this ultimately led to the development of the McConnell Relation, which describes the distribution of electron spin in free radicals.

When Dr. McConnell moved to Stanford University in 1964, he began to use the methods of physical chemistry to study biological problems. There, he introduced a method called spin labels, in which electron and NMR spectra are used to study the structure and kinetics of proteins and lipids. His work showed how to measure the movement of molecules through and within membranes in the laboratory; this was later shown by many researchers to apply to living cell membranes. His research also showed how a protein present in the body combines with that of a foreign peptide on the cell membrane to enable the body to recognize a pathogenic invader.

“Some of these discoveries are critical to understanding many properties of membranes,” says Dr. McConnell, “and a large portion of biology takes place in and on membranes, so understanding them is crucial.”

Dr. McConnell’s recent work has focused on the behavior of cholesterol in membranes. Discoveries by his team concerning the properties of monomolecular films on the surface of water have shed light on cholesterol-phospholipid interactions that previously had puzzled scientists in several different fields of research.

“Cholesterol forms special ‘condensed’ complexes,” says Dr. McConnell. “By describing them mathematically, one can predict many of the properties that have been observed regarding cholesterol and phospholipid mixtures, which are major components of animal cell membranes.” He believes that the next few years will bring a general understanding of the relation between fatty acids and cholesterol in cells, eventually leading to better control of cholesterol levels.

Dr. McConnell earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from California Institute of Technology. Following post-doctoral work at the University of Chicago, he worked for Shell Development Company in Emeryville, Calif. He joined the Cal Tech faculty in 1956 and moved to Stanford University in 1964.

He has received numerous honors, including the Zaviosky Award in Magnetic Resonance (2000), the Gold Medal of the International Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Society (1997), the American Chemical Society Award in Surface Chemistry (1997), the Bruker Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry (1995), the National Medal of Science (1990), the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry (1990), the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences (1988), the Wheland Medal (1986), the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1984) and the Dickson Prize for Science (1982). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. McConnell will receive the 2002 Welch Award in October at a banquet hosted by The Welch Foundation in Houston. At that time he will be presented with the Welch Award gold medallion and the $300,000 prize.

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The Houston-based Welch Foundation is one of the oldest and largest sources of private funding for basic research in chemistry. Since its founding in 1954, it has provided more than $465 million in support for science. In addition to the Welch Award, first given in 1972, the Foundation hosts an annual chemical research conference; provides individual research grants; provides grants to chemistry departments at small and medium-sized educational institutions in Texas; underwrites 40 academic chairs in chemistry; organizes a visiting lecture series of prominent chemists; supports a summer scholar program in the chemical laboratory for high school students; and helps fund a biennial conference for chemistry and science teachers at the high school and junior high levels. The Foundation also bestows the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research, a $100,000 prize that recognizes the work of young researchers in Texas.

Note: For a photograph of Dr. McConnell or a list of previous Welch Award recipients, please call Melissa Quiroz at (713) 752-1900 or visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.welch1.org


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