Julius Axelrod

Julius Axelrod was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1970 for his discoveries concerning the humoral transmittors in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation.

Julius Axelrod made significant contributions to our understanding of how nerve cells communicate and how drugs affect the brain and nervous system. He discovered and characterized the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), which plays a role in the metabolism of neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. He also demonstrated how drugs like antidepressants and psychotropic drugs affect the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Julius Axelrod was born on May 30, 1912, in New York City, United States. He passed away on December 29, 2004, in Rockville, Maryland, United States.

Yes, Julius Axelrod received numerous awards for his contributions to science. In addition to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1970, he was also awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1976 and the National Medal of Science in 1988.

Julius Axelrod spent the majority of his career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. He began working at the NIH in 1949 as a research chemist and eventually became the Chief of the Section on Pharmacology in 1965.