Dear Members of the HMS and HSDM Community:
It is with great sadness that I write to share the news of the death of Alfred L. “Fred” Goldberg, professor of cell biology, emeritus, at Harvard Medical School. A cornerstone of our community for more than 50 years, Dr. Goldberg was an extraordinary researcher and mentor who embodied the highest ideals of the scientific endeavor: curiosity, passion, rigor, and a reverence for the intricacies of human biology. He died on April 18 at age 80 after a long battle with cancer.
A 1963 graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Goldberg attended HMS for two years, then took a leave of absence — which he joked lasted over 55 years — to conduct physiology research in a lab in Building C, where he went on to earn a PhD and join the HMS faculty in what would become the Department of Cell Biology. He was a devoted educator and a meticulous researcher whose studies centered on defining how cells break down damaged or unneeded proteins, a mystery that ignited his imagination and led to many notable achievements.
Among his pivotal discoveries was the identification of a protein degradation system in cells, which he named the proteasome and which serves as a cellular quality control mechanism that degrades defective, mutated, and misfolded proteins. Dr. Goldberg and colleagues went on to further elucidate the mechanisms by which cells in various organisms identify, mark for destruction, and dispose of unwanted or defective proteins. Thanks in part to his seminal insights, we now know that the inability of cells to dispose of damaged proteins underlies the development of many diseases.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Goldberg and his colleagues introduced the first proteasome inhibitors to block the degradation of proteins in cells. These compounds have now been used as key research tools in over 15,000 studies and have led to numerous revelations about the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway’s role in controlling nearly all normal cell processes and in diseases involving abnormal, mutated, or misfolded proteins.
One proteasome inhibitor that Dr. Goldberg helped develop, bortezomib (Velcade), is now used worldwide as the standard therapy for multiple myeloma, a previously untreatable blood cancer. This achievement earned Dr. Goldberg and his collaborators the 2012 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize.
It is indeed rare for an individual scientist to uncover a basic cellular process, describe its mechanisms, and apply these insights to developing transformative therapies. The arc of Dr. Goldberg’s journey is a powerful example of the importance of fundamental discovery to advance knowledge that can be harnessed in the clinic to benefit patients and save lives.
Dr. Goldberg will be remembered as a warm, caring friend and a teacher and mentor who transformed lives just as he transformed science. Many of his former students and trainees have gone on to have outstanding careers in science. I have fond memories of his entertaining poetry readings, his wonderful sense of humor, and his demonstrated commitment to the HMS community, even as he endured his illness.
It is a joy to have known Dr. Goldberg and a privilege for HMS to call him one of our own. Our hearts go out to his wife, Joan, his children and extended family, and his many friends and colleagues.
Sincerely,
George Q. Daley
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Harvard University