Researcher

Thomas Steitz

Profile

Thomas Steitz was an American structural biologist at Yale University who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Ada Yonath for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome. Steitz and his laboratory determined the complete atomic-resolution crystal structure of the large ribosomal subunit (50S) from an archaeon, revealing in unprecedented detail how peptide bond formation occurs in the peptidyl transferase center—and why this center is made entirely of RNA (the ribosome is a ribozyme). This structural work has had transformative impact on antibiotic development: many classes of antibiotics (chloramphenicol, macrolides, lincosamides, oxazolidinones) work by binding to the ribosome and blocking protein synthesis. Detailed knowledge of ribosome structure, including the exact binding sites of these antibiotics, has enabled the design of new antibiotics to combat drug-resistant bacteria. Steitz co-founded RibX Pharmaceuticals (later part of Melinta Therapeutics) to exploit this structural knowledge for antibiotic discovery. His work continues to guide structure-based design of next-generation antibiotics urgently needed in the face of antimicrobial resistance.

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