# Frederick Alt > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Frederick_Alt > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Frederick_Alt.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Alt > Source revision: 1342280906 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American geneticist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | name = | image = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = | workplaces = {{plainlist| * [Harvard Medical School](/source/Harvard_Medical_School) * [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) * [Boston Children's Hospital](/source/Boston_Children's_Hospital) }} | education = {{plainlist| * [Brandeis University](/source/Brandeis_University) * [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) }} | doctoral_advisor = [Robert Schimke](/source/Robert_Schimke) | academic_advisors = [David Baltimore](/source/David_Baltimore) | known_for = | awards = | spouse = | children = [J. Kenji López-Alt](/source/J._Kenji_L%C3%B3pez-Alt) | other_names = Fred Alt | alt = Frederick Alt | doctoral_students = [Karen M. Frank](/source/Karen_M._Frank) }} '''Frederick W. Alt''' is an American geneticist. He is a member of the [immunology](/source/immunology) section of the [National Academy of Sciences](/source/National_Academy_of_Sciences) and a Charles A. Janeway Professor of [Pediatrics](/source/Pediatrics), and Professor of [Genetics](/source/Genetics) at [Harvard Medical School](/source/Harvard_Medical_School).{{cite web |title=Frederick W. Alt, PhD - DF/HCC |url=https://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/frederick-w-alt-phd/ |website=Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center |access-date=13 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008202644/https://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/frederick-w-alt-phd/ |archive-date=8 October 2023}} He is the Director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the [Boston Children's Hospital](/source/Boston_Children's_Hospital).{{Cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2019-09-loops-dna-packaging-diverse-antibodies.html|title=How new loops in DNA packaging help us make diverse antibodies|website=phys.org|language=en-us|access-date=2019-11-14}} He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator since 1987. == Career == Alt completed his undergraduate studies at [Brandeis University](/source/Brandeis_University), graduating in 1971.{{Cite web|url=https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2014/october/alt-rosenstiel-award%20.html|title=Pioneering geneticist Frederick Alt '71 wins 44th Rosenstiel Award|website=BrandeisNOW|language=en|access-date=2019-11-14}} He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biology from [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) in 1977 while under the research direction of [Robert Schimke](/source/Robert_Schimke). He performed his postdoctoral work in [David Baltimore](/source/David_Baltimore)'s laboratory at [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) (MIT).{{Cite web |title=Alt Laboratory |url=https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/alt-laboratory-research |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.childrenshospital.org}} From 1982 to 1991 he was on the faculty at [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) and then moved to Harvard Medical School.{{Cite web |url=http://www.idi.harvard.edu/investigators_research/investigator/alt_lab/ |title=Children's Hospital bio |access-date=2011-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120101957/http://www.idi.harvard.edu/investigators_research/investigator/alt_lab |archive-date=2018-01-20 |url-status=dead }} Alt's research interest is in maintenance of genome stability in cells of the mammalian immunological system, particularly antigen receptor [variable region](/source/variable_region) gene assembly in developing B and T [lymphocytes](/source/lymphocytes), [immunoglobulin heavy chain](/source/immunoglobulin_heavy_chain) class switch recombination (CSR), and [somatic hypermutation](/source/somatic_hypermutation) in activated mature [B lymphocytes](/source/B_lymphocytes). == Personal life == Alt is the son-in-law of organic chemist [Koji Nakanishi](/source/Koji_Nakanishi), former Centennial Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Chemistry Department at [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University).{{cite web |url=https://napost.com/2022/j-kenji_feature_0923/ |title=J. Kenji López-Alt: Seattle's Famous Japanese American Cooking Star |date=2022-09-23 |publisher=The North American Post |access-date=2022-12-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006205242/https://napost.com/2022/j-kenji_feature_0923/ |archive-date=2022-10-06}} Alt is also the father of the chef and food writer [J. Kenji López-Alt](/source/J._Kenji_L%C3%B3pez-Alt).{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article49010860.html|title=Science becomes delicious in 'The Food Lab'|last=Robertson|first=Blair Anthony|date=2015|website=The Sacramento Bee|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216095413/http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article49010860.html|archive-date=2015-12-16|access-date=2019-11-13|quote=His father, Frederick Alt, is a professor at Harvard Medical School}} ==Awards, memberships and honors== He has received many awards, this is a select list: * Clowes Memorial Award from the [American Association for Cancer Research](/source/American_Association_for_Cancer_Research) * Rabbi Shai Shacknai Prize from The [Hebrew University](/source/Hebrew_University) * Leukemia & Lymphoma Society de Villiers International Achievement Award * Irvington Institute Immunology Award * [National Cancer Institute](/source/National_Cancer_Institute) Alfred K. Knudson Award for pioneering contributions that have revolutionized the field of Cancer Genetics * AAI-Huang Meritorious Career Award, [American Association of Immunologists](/source/American_Association_of_Immunologists) * Excellence in Mentoring Award, American Association of Immunologists. * 2004 – [Pasarow Foundation Prize](/source/Robert_J._and_Claire_Pasarow_Foundation_Medical_Research_Award) for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research * 2007 – [Novartis Prize for Basic Immunology](/source/Novartis_Prize_for_Basic_Immunology) for his discoveries on B cell development and antigen responses{{Cite web|url=http://www.novartisimmunologyprizes.com/laureates/|title=Laureates|last=|first=|date=2018-08-29|website=Novartis Prizes for Immunology|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829175211/http://www.novartisimmunologyprizes.com/laureates/|archive-date=2018-08-29|access-date=2019-11-14}} * 2009 – [William B. Coley Award](/source/William_B._Coley_Award) for New Discoveries in Immunology from the [Cancer Research Institute](/source/Cancer_Research_Institute){{Cite web|url=https://www.cancerresearch.org/news/2009/cri-announces-winner-of-2009-frederick-alt-award|title=CRI Announces Winner of 2009 Frederick Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology|website=Cancer Research Institute|date=October 6, 2009 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-14}} * 2014 – 44th annual [Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award](/source/Rosenstiel_Award) for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research * 2015 – [Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research](/source/Szent-Gy%C3%B6rgyi_Prize_for_Progress_in_Cancer_Research), from the [National Foundation for Cancer Research](/source/National_Foundation_for_Cancer_Research) (NFCR){{Cite journal|last1=Scully|first1=Peter|last2=Zhao|first2=Jie|last3=Ba|first3=Sujuan|date=2016-02-03|title=Frederick W. Alt received the 2015 Szent-Györgi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research|journal=Chinese Journal of Cancer|volume=35|article-number=17|doi=10.1186/s40880-015-0075-x|issn=1000-467X|pmc=4741029|pmid=26843073 |doi-access=free }} * 2019 – BioLegend Herzenberg Award, for "exemplary research contributions to the field of B cell biology", American Association of Immunologists.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aai.org/Awards/Career/AAI-Herzenberg-Award|title=AAI-BioLegend Herzenberg Award|last=|first=|date=|website=The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. (AAI)|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.immunology2019.org/awards/aai-career-awards/|title=AAI Career Awards|last=|first=|date=|website=Immunology 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-14}} * 2023 – [Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize](/source/Paul_Ehrlich_and_Ludwig_Darmstaedter_Prize)[https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/124912621/2023_Alt_Schatz Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2023] The Cancer Research Institute of New York gives an annual prize in his honor, the Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology. Alt is a member of: *[U.S. National Academy of Sciences](/source/National_Academy_of_Sciences) *[American Academy of Arts and Sciences](/source/American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences) *[American Academy of Microbiology](/source/American_Academy_of_Microbiology) ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== *[https://genetics.hms.harvard.edu/faculty-staff/frederick-w-alt Official page at Harvard] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Alt, Frederick}} Category:American geneticists Category:Harvard Medical School faculty Category:Living people Category:Brandeis University alumni Category:Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Category:Howard Hughes Medical Investigators Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology Category:Searle Scholars Program recipients Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frederick Alt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Alt) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Alt?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.