Stanley Cohen
| Category | Research |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Stanley Cohen biochemist, EGF discoverer |
| Last updated | 2026-04-14 |
| Reading time | 3 min read |
| Tags | scientistegfngfnobel-prizegrowth-factors |
Overview
Stanley Cohen (November 17, 1922 – February 5, 2020) was an American biochemist who, together with Rita Levi-Montalcini, shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). His work launched the field of peptide and protein growth factors, demonstrating that soluble factors direct the growth, differentiation, and survival of specific cell types.
Cohen began his collaboration with Levi-Montalcini at Washington University in St. Louis in the 1950s, where her initial observation that mouse sarcoma tumors caused exuberant growth of sympathetic and sensory ganglia had led to the bioassay-guided purification of NGF. Cohen's contribution was essential for the biochemical characterization — purifying the factor, determining that it was a protein, and eventually establishing its amino acid sequence.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Cohen's independent work at Vanderbilt University identified epidermal growth factor, a related but distinct peptide that accelerated eyelid opening and tooth eruption in newborn mice. EGF was the first growth factor to be characterized at the molecular level and became a cornerstone of signal transduction research through the identification of its receptor (EGFR), which turned out to be a receptor tyrosine kinase with major roles in cancer.
Background
Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1943 and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1948. After postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado, he joined Washington University in 1953, where his collaboration with Levi-Montalcini began. In 1959, Cohen moved to Vanderbilt, where he spent the rest of his career.
His research style combined deep biochemistry with clinical relevance. He often emphasized the value of purifying bioactive substances to homogeneity before making claims about their mechanism or pharmacology — a philosophy that shaped the field of growth factor research.
Key Contributions
- Purification and characterization of nerve growth factor (NGF) (with Levi-Montalcini).
- Discovery of epidermal growth factor (EGF) (1962).
- Identification of the EGF receptor and its tyrosine kinase activity.
- Demonstration that growth factors act through specific receptors — a paradigm now central to cell biology.
Timeline
- 1922: Born in Brooklyn, New York.
- 1953: Joins Washington University; begins collaboration with Levi-Montalcini.
- 1960: NGF characterization published.
- 1962: EGF discovered.
- 1972–1975: EGF receptor characterized.
- 1986: Shares Nobel Prize with Levi-Montalcini.
- 2020: Dies at age 97.
Modern Relevance
The growth factor field that Cohen helped found now includes dozens of families of peptide and protein regulators of cell behavior. Drugs targeting the EGF receptor (erlotinib, gefitinib, cetuximab, panitumumab) are central to modern oncology for lung, colorectal, and head and neck cancers. NGF-targeted therapies for chronic pain (tanezumab and related antibodies) extended Cohen and Levi-Montalcini's work into clinical pharmacology.
More broadly, Cohen's work established the paradigm of peptide/protein growth factors — soluble molecules that bind specific cell-surface receptors and trigger cascades of intracellular signaling. This framework applies to insulin, IGFs, PDGF, FGF, VEGF, and many others, all of which descend conceptually from the NGF and EGF discoveries. For related content, see rita-levi-montalcini.
Related Compounds
Related entries
- Nobel Prizes for Peptide Chemistry— A survey of Nobel Prizes awarded for foundational advances in peptide chemistry, from Fischer in 1902 to Merrifield in 1984.
- Peptides in Dermatology— A review of clinical and preclinical evidence for peptides in dermatology, spanning cosmetic applications like collagen stimulation and wrinkle reduction to therapeutic uses in wound healing and skin disorders.
- Rita Levi-Montalcini— Rita Levi-Montalcini was the Italian neurobiologist who co-discovered nerve growth factor and shared the 1986 Nobel Prize with Stanley Cohen.