Richard Axel
Scientists

Richard Axel Net Worth

Richard Axel is a renowned scientist and professor of molecular biophysics and pathology at Columbia University. He is best known for his Nobel Prize-winning paper on ‘olfactory receptors’, which explains how the brain interprets smell. His ‘Axel Patents’ have earned him an estimated $600 million in royalty, and he has made several path-breaking discoveries in the area of immunology and DNA transfection. He has been a recipient of numerous awards and has trained and mentored many leading scientists in the field of neurobiology. He also holds the title of ‘Investigator’ at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and is currently pursuing research in the field of scent detection in the human brain.
Richard Axel is a member of Scientists

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Researcher
Birth Day July 02, 1946
Birth Place Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Age 76 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign Leo
Residence USA
Citizenship United States
Alma mater Stuyvesant High School Columbia University Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Spouse(s) Cornelia Bargmann
Awards Richard Lounsbery Award (1989) Gairdner Foundation International Award (2003) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2004) ForMemRS (2014)
Fields Neuroscience
Institutions Columbia University
Notable students Linda Buck David J. Anderson Catherine Dulac David Julius Richard Scheller
Website www.axellab.columbia.edu

💰 Net worth

Richard Axel, a renowned researcher based in the United States, is estimated to have a net worth ranging from $100,000 to $1 million in 2024. With a distinguished career in the field of research, Richard Axel has made significant contributions to the scientific community. His expertise and innovative approaches have garnered him recognition and success in his endeavors. With such accomplishments, it is no surprise that Richard Axel's net worth reflects his remarkable achievements and ongoing contributions to the field of research.

Biography/Timeline

1963

Born in New York City, New York, Axel graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1963, received his A.B. in 1967 from Columbia University, and his M.D. in 1971 from Johns Hopkins University. He returned to Columbia later that year and became a full professor in 1978.

1970

During the late 1970s, Axel, along with microbiologist Saul J. Silverstein and Geneticist Michael H. Wigler, discovered a technique of cotransformation via transfection, a process which allows foreign DNA to be inserted into a host cell to produce certain proteins. A family of patents, now colloquially referred to as the "Axel patents", covering this technique were filed for February 1980 and were issued in August 1983. As a fundamental process in recombinant DNA research as performed at pharmaceutical and biotech companies, this patent proved quite lucrative for Columbia University, earning it almost $100 million a year at one time, and a top spot on the list of top universities by licensing revenue. The Axel patents expired in August 2000.

1983

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Axel has won numerous awards and honors. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1983. Axel was awarded the Double Helix Medal in 2007. CSHL Double Helix Medal Honoree and was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 2014. His nomination reads:

1991

In their landmark paper published in 1991, Buck and Axel cloned olfactory receptors, showing that they belong to the family of G protein coupled receptors. By analyzing rat DNA, they estimated that there were approximately one thousand different genes for olfactory receptors in the mammalian genome. This research opened the door to the genetic and molecular analysis of the mechanisms of olfaction. In their later work, Buck and Axel have shown that each olfactory receptor neuron remarkably only expresses one kind of olfactory receptor protein and that the input from all neurons expressing the same receptor is collected by a single dedicated glomerulus of the olfactory bulb.

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About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.