Hi guys!
Hope you are all doing well!

From the beginning wish you all a wonderful Friday!

And I am coming to you today in order to bring you closer one of the most valuable biochemist in the world!

A scientist with huge base of knowledge and experience Konrad Emil Bloch!

German American biochemist, living at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th century, which contributed to the development of biology and chemistry.

He was awarded with Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1964 for discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism. In my opinion thanks to his discoveries recently medicine can prevent diseases such as atherosclerosis affecting an increasing number of people, or for example knowledge about metabolism of fatty acids recently we can use in dietetics.

There are a lot of scientists around the world which may deserve to become famous and appreciation of Nobel Prize.
So why did I decide to tell you about this scientist?
Despite the hard times he lived in, partitions, war, adversity he achieved his success. He was very lucky, also he did not give up, he was working very hard all his life. Bloch`s retirement in 1982 did not mean the end of his scientific career, he continued almost to the end of his life. In my opinion people like Bloch, stubbornly pursuing his goals, should became appreciated.

In order to expand information on his achievements I decided to ask Konrad few questions.

1. Me: How did you become famous?
   Konrad: In 1964, together with German biochemist Feodor Lynen, a colleague and contemporary friend from studies at the Munich Polytechnic. We have been awarded with the Nobel Prize for research on combating and preventing atherosclerosis, in particular for discovering the course of cholesterol synthesis in the human body. In addition, I started work in on the most reputable and the oldest American university Harvard University in Cambridge, which allowed me to continue working on the cholesterol. I think it was my most important achievement that made me famous.  
   
   
2. M: What was it about your work that made you so? 
   K: Well, during my life I had several opportunities to work on cholesterol, which is integral component of cell membranes, used to synthesize substances as: bile acids, sex hormones, corticosteroids and vitamin D. It is produced in almost all body cells, in the largest amounts in the liver and intestines. Cholesterol is transported to the blood in the form of lipoproteins: VLDL, LDL and HDL. The so-called bad cholesterol is VLDL and LDL (in the oxidized form it builds atherosclerotic plaques). It transports cholesterol from the liver to other tissues. Good cholesterol (HDL) transports in the opposite direction. Thanks to my discovery regarding the synthesis of cholesterol, it was possible to invent specialized medicines in order to lower its level and prevent atherosclerosis, finally heart attacks.

Let’s look closer on Bloch’s discover.
As the source states,
 cholesterol synthesis begins by joining three important for metabolism process molecules of acetyl-CoA. It is formed in cells from fatty acids, sugars and some amino acids. The result of the combination is the compound: HMG-CoA, which is further reduced to mevalonate. Mevalonate is converted into five-carbon active units that condense gradually into a 15-carbon unit (farnesyl diphosphate). Two farnesyl diphosphate molecules combine to form 30-carbon squalene, which cyclizes to lanosterol. Lanosterol, in several transformations, losing three one-carbon methyl groups along the way, is converted into 27-carbon cholesterol.

3. How did your path to the success looked like?
Like I said on the beginning of our conversation, from my young ages I had an opportunity to work on cholesterol, and I was able to practice the knowledge gained. This time when I was moving from Germany to Switzerland I was fortunate to find a temporary work in Davos. My assignment there was to investigate the phospholipids of tubercle bacilli. That was my first exposure to biochemical research.
Two years later I moved to United States where I was continuing research on various aspects of terpene and biogenesis of sterol. Therefore I become interested in the unsaturated fatty acids exactly in their enzymatic formation. I finally succeeded to achieve what I had been working on for so long

4. How your past work have an impact on today`s life?
Synthesis and functioning of cholesterol that I have experimentally discovered, is today used for effective prevention of the most problematic and dangerous disease of the present time – arteriosclerosis. It is the cause of heart attacks and venous diseases affecting the modern population.


Guys I hope you had a good time during reading about this amazing biochemist. I am glad I could show you closer person whom we owe so much in science and medicine.

Thanks!
XX
Klaudia

Referneces:
Nobel Media AB (2019) MLA style: Konrad Bloch – Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Available at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1964/bloch/biographical/ (Accessed 20 Nov 2019)

Bloch, K. (1964) The biological synthesis of cholesterol. Nobel Lecture. Available at: https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/bloch-lecture.pdf (Accessed 20 Nov 2019)

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