Keynote Address
Salih J. Wakil, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor and Chair Emeritus,
the Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Baylor College of Medicine
Throughout his distinguished scientific career, Salih J.Wakil, Ph.D., has been
acclaimed for his pioneering work in metabolic research.
In the 1950s, Dr. Wakil’s seminal contributions on the mechanisms
and regulation of fatty acid metabolism engendered a new understanding of the
process of fat metabolism in the body. His pursuit of this research path
has led to molecular and enzymatic discoveries presenting potential drug targets
with which to combat the contemporary epidemics of obesity and diabetes.
Dr. Wakil rose to international prominence in the scientific community from
humble beginnings as the son of a shoemaker in a small town in Iraq. His
high score on a national high school examination resulted in a chemistry scholarship
that took him to the American University of Beirut, from which he earned a
chemistry degree in 1948, followed by a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University
of Washington in 1952.
During postdoctoral training at the Enzyme Institute of the University of
Wisconsin, Dr. Wakil embarked on his now-famous studies on fatty acid synthesis.
His observations of the initial steps of fatty acid synthesis refuted the previously
held concept that fatty acid synthesis was simply the reversal of fatty acid
oxidation. His findings, demonstrating that catabolic and anabolic pathways
are different, despite having some common reactions, have been applied to all
major pathways involving the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids. Dr. Wakil’s
lab was the first to identify the enzymes, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty
acid synthase, and to delineate the structure and mechanisms of their actions.
Dr. Wakil rose to an assistant professorship at the University of Wisconsin,
then moved in 1959 to Duke University Medical School, where he achieved full
professorship in 1965. In 1971, he was recruited to chair the Biochemistry
Department at Baylor College of Medicine by then-president Michael E. DeBakey,
M.D. During
nearly four decades at the helm, Dr. Wakil’s scientific reputation attracted
outstanding researchers who helped propel the Verna and Marrs McLean Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to top-five ranking in National Institutes
of Health funding.
As Chair Emeritus since 2008, Dr. Wakil continues to vigorously pursue his research. Recently, Dr. Wakil and his collaborators found that an orally available, small synthetic molecule blocked the activation of sterol regulatory element binding proteins 1 and 2 (SREBPs 1 and 2), the master regulators of lipogenic genes. A study in obese OB/OB mice fed a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet showed the molecule blocked increases in body weight, blood glucose, and hepatic fat accumulation. Dr. Wakil and his collaborators subsequently identified an analog of this molecule that showed greater potency, oral bioavailability and efficacy in OB/OB mice, suggesting its potential as an anti-obesity pharmaceutical intervention.
Among Dr. Wakil’s many honors are the Paul Lewis Award from the American Chemical Society, the Distinguished Duke Alumnus Award, the Chilton Award from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, election to the National Academy of Sciences, the Supelco/American Oil Chemists’ Society Research Award, the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Award, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Metabolic Research Award.
