Adolfo J. de Bold, OC, FRSC is an Argentinian–Canadian cardiovascular researcher, best known for his discovery of atrial natriuretic peptide, a polypeptide hormone secreted by heart muscle cells.
Education
Born in Paraná, Argentina, de Bold obtained a Bachelor of Science in clinical biochemistry at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the National University of Córdoba before moving to Canada in 1968. His Master of Science (1972) and Doctor of Philosophy (1973) are from the Department of Pathology at Queen"s University in Kingston, Ontario, under the direction of Sergio Bencosme.
Career
He worked at Queen"s University from 1974, rising to professor in 1985. In 1986, he became director of research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, a position he held until 1993. As of 2008, de Bold is the Director of the Cardiovascular Endocrinology Laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and also an assistant Professor of Pathology and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
De Bold"s research has focused on the study of storage granules in heart cells.
In 1980, this work led to his co-discovery and isolation of atrial natriuretic peptide (Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity), a polypeptide hormone secreted by heart muscle cells. This was the first demonstration that the heart has an endocrine function.
De Bold"s team went on to show that the heart modulates blood pressure, blood volume and cardiovascular growth via Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity. The discovery of Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity opened up a new field of research which has resulted in multiple therapeutic and diagnostic applications in heart failure. de Bold AJ, Borenstein HB, Veress AT, Sonnenberg H. (1981) A rapid and potent natriuretic response to intravenous injection of atrial myocardial extract in rats. Life Sciences 28: 89–94 (PMID 7219045) Flynn TG, de Bold Master of Laws, de Bold AJ. (1983) The amino acid sequence of an atrial peptide with potent diuretic and natriuretic properties.
Biochem Biophys Resident Commun 117: 859-865 (PMID 6230081) de Bold AJ. (1985) Atrial natriuretic factor: a hormone produced by the heart.
Science 230: 767–770 (doi:101126/science2932797 PMID 2932797).