Lawrence Steven Goldstein

Dr. Lawrence Steven Goldstein is Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Goldstein’s research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of intracellular movement in neurons and the role of transport dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. The Goldstein lab utilizes molecular and classical genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry in Drosophila melanogaster and Mus musculus to identify novel proteins that couple motors to cargo and regulate their function. Goldstein provided the first molecular descriptions of kinesin structure and organization, and has recently discovered important links between transport processes and diseases such as Alzheimers disease and Huntingtons disease. He has also had an active role in national science policy and has served on many public science advisory committees; has written about, spoken about, and been interviewed on numerous occasions on science issues by print and broadcast media; and has testified on a number of occasions in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about NIH funding and stem cell research. As a leading voice defending and explaining science to Congress and the public, Goldstein has played a primary role in stimulating stem cell research and was pivotal in the creation and passage of California's landmark Proposition 71 that funded stem cell research. A cofounder and consultant of the biotechnology company Cytokinetics, Goldstein has also had an active role in private industry. Goldstein’s awards include the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award, the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award, the Loeb Chair in Natural Sciences at Harvard University, and the ASCB Public Service Award. He is the author of over 100 publications in journals such as Developmental Cell, Nature, and Science.