UT Southwestern pharmacologists earn Hill Prize from TAMEST
David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., and Steven Kliewer, Ph.D., to continue orphan nuclear receptor research with award from Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology
DALLAS – Jan. 15, 2025 – David Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Pharmacology and Professor of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the Hill Prize in Biological Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) in recognition of his long-standing research on orphan nuclear receptors – proteins in the cell nucleus that flip genes on and off and are triggered by unknown molecules.
The prize will fund a new research project led by Dr. Mangelsdorf and his longtime collaborator, Steven Kliewer, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology at UTSW, who is being recognized by TAMEST as co-Principal Investigator.
The Hill Prize, which TAMEST launched last year, is designed to accelerate high-risk, high-reward research ideas in Texas with significant potential for real-world impact. Funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Hill Prizes are awarded in six categories – Medicine, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Technology, and Public Health. Each recipient receives $500,000 as seed funding to advance groundbreaking science and highlight Texas as a premier destination for world-class research.
“It is with great pride that I congratulate this year’s Hill Prizes recipients. Their innovation is remarkable, as is their unwavering dedication to creating game-changing discoveries that address such crucial issues in our society,” said Lyda Hill, founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies. “Their contributions are a testament to their talent and perseverance, and I look forward to seeing how these prizes will support their efforts to shape a better and brighter tomorrow for us all.”
The prizes will be awarded Feb. 4 at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2025 Annual Conference: Transformational Breakthroughs at the Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.
Russell DeBose-Boyd, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics at UT Southwestern, was awarded the Hill Prize in Biological Sciences in 2024.
“It is quite a privilege to receive this prize,” said Dr. Mangelsdorf, who holds the Alfred G. Gilman Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology and the Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Molecular Neuropharmacology in Honor of Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D. “I am immensely thankful to TAMEST and Lyda Hill Philanthropies for this honor. They truly are Texas treasures.”
This new line of study from Drs. Mangelsdorf and Kliewer aims to characterize the pathway used by larvae of a parasitic nematode known as the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) to infect soybeans. Based on their research into another nematode species, the researchers hypothesize that SCN infection is mediated through a signaling cascade that involves an orphan nuclear receptor.
“Having grown up in Iowa, I’m particularly excited about this project’s potential to eradicate a devastating soybean parasite,” Dr. Kliewer said. “I’m grateful to both Lyda Hill and TAMEST for their generous and enabling support.”
Dr. Mangelsdorf joined UT Southwestern in 1993. He is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Kliewer, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, came to UT Southwestern in 2002. Since that time, the pair has jointly run the Mangelsdorf/Kliewer Lab.
Their early work into several orphan nuclear receptors led to the discovery of two signaling pathways mediated by the endocrine factors FGF19 and FGF21, which govern nutrient metabolism during feeding and fasting. More recently, the pair’s work on FGF21, a hormone produced in the liver, has attracted significant attention. In a 2023 paper in Cell Metabolism, the researchers showed that a dose of FGF21 sobered up mice that had passed out from alcohol poisoning. Their findings could lead to effective treatments for acute alcohol intoxication, which is responsible for about 1 million emergency room visits in the U.S. each year.
“Signal transduction pathways that involve orphan nuclear receptors underlie a vast array of processes involved in health and disease. By investigating these pathways, Drs. Mangelsdorf and Kliewer are making strides against diabetes, obesity, cancer, alcohol intoxication, and parasitism,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School.
Founded in 2004, TAMEST brings together the state’s brightest minds in medicine, engineering, science, and technology to foster collaboration and advance research, innovation, and business in Texas. With more than 345 members, eight Nobel Laureates, and 24 member institutions, TAMEST is composed of Texas-based members of the three National Academies (National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Sciences) and other honorific organizations.
“On behalf of TAMEST, we are honored to congratulate this year’s recipients of the Hill Prizes, whose work exemplifies innovation and excellence and helps define Texas as a leader in scientific research and discovery,” said TAMEST President Brendan Lee, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine. “These prestigious prizes not only recognize their remarkable research but also benefit from the critical support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to help propel their work forward. We know their discoveries will continue to advance science in ways that will have a lasting impact on our world.”
Drs. Mangelsdorf and Kliewer are members of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Investigators in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. Dr. Kliewer holds the Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology. Dr. DeBose-Boyd holds the Beatrice and Miguel Elias Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.