Michael Zasloff

Michael Alan Zasloff (born February 7, 1946) is an American physician–scientist, immunologist, and biotechnology entrepreneur. He is best known for discovering antimicrobial peptides in amphibians, particularly the magainins, and for developing the shark-derived compound squalamine as a potential therapy for viral infections and Parkinson's disease. Zasloff is Professor of Pediatrics and Surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine and serves as Scientific Director of the MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute .

Early life and education Zasloff was born in New York City to a dentist and an artist, and grew up on Manhattan’s West Side. He attended the Bronx High School of Science, then earned a B.A. in chemistry at Columbia College (New York) in 1967, and both an M.D. and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine in 1973, studying under Nobel laureate Severo Ochoa.

Career After his pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital, Zasloff joined the National Institutes of Health in 1975. During the 1980s he served as Chief of the Human Genetics Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In July 1992, Zasloff left Penn to join Magainin full time as Executive Vice President and President of the Magainin Research Institute, the company’s basic research division. From July 1996 through November 2000 he served as Vice Chairman of the board.

In 2002, Zasloff joined Georgetown University Medical Center as Dean of Research and Translational Science, tasked with integrating Georgetown’s basic science programs with the clinical environment of the medical center. The company’s lead compound, ENT-01, is an orally administered derivative of squalamine designed to displace aggregated alpha-synuclein in enteric neurons. Clinical trials have shown improvements in bowel function and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients. They proved active against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and some viruses.

Magainin Pharmaceuticals advanced several drug candidates, including Pexiganan, a topical antimicrobial for diabetic foot ulcers, Squalamine, a steroidal compound isolated from the dogfish shark with antibacterial and antiviral properties and Trodusquemine (MSI-1436), investigated for metabolic and oncologic indications Although pexiganan was not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Magainin’s research pioneered commercial development of antimicrobial peptides.

In the early 1990s, Zasloff discovered squalamine, a steroid with broad antimicrobial activity, from dogfish sharks.

In the early 2010s, Zasloff’s work expanded to include studies of the gut–brain axis and its role in neurodegenerative disease.

Awards and honors

1988 – Public Health Service Commendation Medal 1988 – Public Health Service Meritorious Service Medal 1994 – Kilby Award 1998 – Solomon A. Berson Award in the Basic Sciences, NYU School of Medicine 1999 – Elected, Association of American Physicians 2001 – Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, NYU Grossman School of Medicine 2012 – Doctor of Science (honoris causa), Georgetown University

Personal life Zasloff is married to Barbara Zasloff, a clinical psychologist. They met as undergraduates at Columbia University and have three daughters.

Selected publications