Timothy A. Springer, PhD.
Education:
B.A. (1971) - University of California, Berkeley - Biochemistry
PhD (1976) - Harvard University, Cambridge - Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Postdoctoral Fellowship (1977) - University of Cambridge, England - Pathology
Bio:
Dr. Tim Springer received his B.A. in Biochemistry from University of California in 1971, his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Harvard in 1976 and did a fellowship with Cesar Milstein in Cambridge, England. He began as Assistant Professor on the Quad at Harvard Medical School in 1977 and has been here ever since, although his institution has changed several times. Since 1989 Springer has been Latham Family Professor. He currently is Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at HMS and at Boston Children's Hospital is the Senior Investigator in the Program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Springer discovered with monoclonal antibodies, then cloned and functionally and structurally characterized, many of the adhesion receptors in the immune system. He was the first to demonstrate that lymphocytes and leukocytes had adhesion molecules. His work on these receptors has advanced to characterizing their interactions and allosteric transitions by x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, laser tweezers force spectroscopy, and single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).
He discovered the lymphocyte function-associated (LFA) molecules, the intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs), and the first subfamily of integrins. Dr. Springer later discovered the three step paradigm for leukocyte diapedesis: 1) rolling adhesion of leukocytes on the vessel wall through a translating zone of selectin-carbohydrate adhesion; 2) activation of G protein-coupled receptors on the leukocyte by chemoattractants presented by vascular endothelium; and 3) activation of integrin adhesiveness for CAMs on endothelium, which mediates firm adhesion and leukocyte migration through the vessel wall.
Dr. Springer’s academic interests focus on how protein conformational change together with tensile force activates integrins and transforming growth factor-β. He currently uses thermodynamics, kinetics of ligand binding and conformational change, and effect of tensile force on these parameters, to understand the biophysics of integrin and TGF-β activation.
Dr. Springer has published more than 600 articles that have been cited over 150,000 times, achieving an h-index of 191, and has over 30 patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and his honors include the Crafoord Prize, the American Association of Immunologists Meritorious Career Award, the Stratton Medal from the American Society of Hematology, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the Robert Koch Award.
Dr. Springer has been a founder and/or investor in LeukoSite, Moderna Therapeutic, Editas Medicine, Scholar Rock, Morphic Therapeutic, Tectonic Therapeutic, and Seismic Therapeutic. His research and company formation has led to six FDA-approved drugs including antibodies for treating cancer and immune diseases.
As a philanthropist, Dr. Springer founded the Institute for Protein Innovation, a non-profit that advances open-source antibodies and protein science. He has endowed Professorships and Chairs at Harvard Medical School, UC Berkeley, and Boston Children’s Hospital, and has served on the Boston Children’s Hospital Trust Board.