精品国产一区二区桃色

In Memoriam

In memoriam: Bernard Agranoff

Christopher Radka
April 17, 2023

Bernard (Bernie) W. Agranoff, a professor of biological chemistry and renowned neuroscientist, died October 21, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was 96, and he had been a member of the 精品国产一区二区桃色 since 1959.

Bernard Agranoff

Agranoff was born June 26, 1926. He attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and in 1944, at age 18, he enrolled in the Navy Premedical Officer Training Program. He was assigned to the University of Michigan, where he completed a degree in chemistry in two years and then matriculated to Wayne State University in Detroit where he earned his medical degree in 1950. Agranoff completed his postdoctoral training mentored by Francis Schmitt at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a founder of the field of neuroscience.

In 1952, after completing his Navy tour of duty, Agranoff joined the Section of Lipid Chemistry at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the National Institutes of Health. Nine years later, he transitioned to the University of Michigan Department of Biological Chemistry and Mental Health Research Institute (which he would direct from 1983-1995) to study the biochemistry of learning and memory.

Agranoff published a in the journal Science in which he demonstrated that new protein synthesis is needed for goldfish memory, but not learning, by giving intracranial injections of puromycin and tritium-labeled leucine to goldfish trained to avoid electric shocks. In 1964, he published a using similar methods to show that the formation of long-term but not short-term memory requires protein synthesis.

During his career, Agranoff trained more than 60 graduate students and postdocs, and he received many accolades. He served as president of the American Society for Neurochemistry and was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the University of Michigan Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Education.

Agranoff and his wife Raquel (Ricky) shared a passion for food that inspired a explaining the brain health benefits of eating unsaturated fatty acids from fish.

Ricky died in 2020. Bernard Agranoff is survived by his two sons, William and Adam Agranoff, and their families.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Christopher Radka

Christopher D. Radka is an assistant professor studying lipid biochemistry in the microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics department at the University of Kentucky. He is also an ASBMB Today volunteer contributor.

Related articles

In memoriam: John W. Brown
ASBMB Today Staff
In memoriam: John Edmond
Laurel Oldach
2025 PROLAB awardees announced
Marissa Locke Rottinghaus

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

In memoriam: Ralph G. Yount
In Memoriam

In memoriam: Ralph G. Yount

July 28, 2025

He was a professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry at Washington State University and an ASBMB member for 58 years.

From dust to discovery
Profile

From dust to discovery

July 23, 2025

From makeshift classrooms in Uganda to postdoctoral research in Chicago, MOSAIC scholar Elizabeth Kaweesa builds a legacy in women鈥檚 health.

Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards
Member News

Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards

July 21, 2025

He is being honored by the University at Buffalo and the American Oil Chemists' Society for his scientific achievements and ethical integrity.

Hope for a cure hangs on research
Essay

Hope for a cure hangs on research

July 17, 2025

Amid drastic proposed cuts to biomedical research, rare disease families like Hailey Adkisson鈥檚 fight for survival and hope. Without funding, science can鈥檛 鈥渃atch up鈥 to help the patients who need it most.

Before we鈥檝e lost what we can鈥檛 rebuild: Hope for prion disease
Feature

Before we鈥檝e lost what we can鈥檛 rebuild: Hope for prion disease

July 15, 2025

Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal 鈥 and just getting started.

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators
Member News

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators

July 14, 2025

Ileana Cristea, Sarah Cohen, Itay Budin and Christopher Obara are among 14 researchers selected as Allen Distinguished Investigators by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.