Prof. Dr. Bjorn Reino Olsen

Dean for Research and Professor of Developmental Biology; Hersey

Professor of Cell BiologyHarvard School of Dental Medicine

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Dr. Olsen

Dr. Ninomiya01.01.1949 – 28.02.2014

Dr. Hirohata Dr. Çilek

How a student’s interest in science

developed into

a life-long passion for discovery

Skien, Norway 1957

Jerusalem, Israel 2011

What did I do in high school?

I read a lot of novels (by Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Russian, German, American, English and French writers).

We were learning English, German and French and had to read Swedish and Danish

Knowing English and German when I started as a medical student was extremely helpful because all our textbooks were in German or English!

I read a lot of history, books about philosophy, psychology, developmental biology, human evolutionand the great discoveries in medicine, surgery and microbiology.

I was VERY interested in astronomy, physics and mathematics

The interest in physics stimulated me to try to read

Niels Bohr (1913) On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules, Philosophical Magazine 26, 1-24.

Niels Bohr (1913) On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules. Part II.– Systems containing only a Single Nucleus. Philosophical Magazine 26, 476-502.

Niels Bohr (1913) On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules. Part III.–Systems containing Several Nuclei. Philosophical Magazine 26, 857-875.

Bohr received the Nobel Prize for physics in 1922

Important discoveries were made 100 years ago!

Luckily, our high school was a century-old Latin School andhad copies of the journal in which Bohr published these papers

Albert Einstein (1905) Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper. Annalen der Physik 322, 891-921It was not that difficult and I knew enough German to be able to read it.

The General Relativity theory, Albert Einstein (1916) Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie. Annalen der Physik 354, 769-822required advanced mathematics so I decided to take math courses as a medical student and then read the paper.

I read Einstein’s paper on Special Relativity:

What is the lesson in this?

To get onto a path of research and discovery,

cultivate your curiosity;

seek intellectual challenges;

seek knowledge at many levels;

seek understanding, not just information

At the University of Oslo as a medical student

Part I: Basic Sciences – 2.5 years

Part II: Clinical Sciences – 3.5 years

Medical School Curriculum

I fell in love with anatomy and cell biology

and met some remarkable Professors at the Anatomical Institute

Torgersen (evolutionary anthropology)

Jansen(neuroanatomy,Chairman of theAnatomical Institute)

Brodal(neuroanatomy,Chair of the NorwegianResearch Council)

I broke with tradition after Part I

I took a 2-year break from medical school to do research (a student research program was started by Professor Brodal).

I decided to work on a project at the Anatomical Instituteand take courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics (so that I could read Einstein’s paper on general relativity)

This was one of the most important decisions of my life

What is the lesson in this?

Follow your strongest interests

Do not be afraid to break with tradition

A difficult choice

The “good” part: Anatomical Institute had an electron microscope for studying molecular structure

The “bad” part: Everybody was doing brain anatomy

The “ugly” choice: If I wanted an Advisor I had to work on the brain If I chose to study molecules I had to work

alone

I decided to work alone

I decided to work on the structure, synthesis and function of collagen, a protein that is essential for the existence of multicellular organisms as acomponent of the extracellular matrix

I wanted to use electron microscopy (EM), because------

Siemens EM

With the EM I could see collagen molecules!

Collagen molecule

And I could see how molecules formed fibrils!

I made discoveries!

ATP10Å = 1nanometer

3100Å

Bjorn R. Olsen (1963) Electron Microscope Studies on Collagen I. Native Collagen Fibrils. Zeitsch. f. Zellforsch. 59, 184-198.

Bjorn R. Olsen (1963) Electron Microscope Studies on Collagen II. Mechanism of linear Polymerization of TropocollagenMolecules. Zeitsch. f. Zellforsch. 59, 199-213.

Bjorn R. Olsen (1964) Electron Microscope Studies on Collagen III. Tryptic Digestion of Tropocollagen Macromolecules.Zeitsch. f. Zellforsch. 61, 913-919.

I started to publish papers!

The EM Lab, directed by T. Blackstad, was a remarkable place

It gave me, a student, not only the freedom to succeed in scienceon my own, but also to learn from my own failed experiments

To purify proteins I had to startmy own little biochemistry laboratory

My home-made fraction collector

Columns for purifying collagenmolecules

“TRULTE” in Norway

My fraction collector named “TRULTE”

What is the lesson in this?

Trust your problem solving ability

Use your creativity to overcome obstacles

Start modestly, but aim at asking important questions

What happened next?

1967: Graduation from Medical School Defense of PhD dissertation Appointment as Assistant Professor at University of Oslo

1971: Promotion to Associate Professor at University of Oslo

I decided I needed to be trained better!Where?

Prockop’s laboratory in USA used biochemical methods to study how cells make collagen

I could use electron microscopy to study how cells make it

We found that cells do not make collagen molecules; they make a larger precursor protein – procollagen – which is “trimmed”to collagen

A perfect match

What is the lesson in this?

Get as good a scientific training as possible

Find an exciting training environment

You found the right place if you cannot wait to get to the lab in the morning and find it difficult to leave at night

The Ninomiya family!

Tomoatsu Kimura

Hiroshi Konomi

New collagen types were discovered throughthe work of outstanding postdocs and students

Boston 1985

Suk Paul Oh Muragaki Nishimura

Fawcett Hay Olsen Ninomiya

More opportunities at Harvard

Research continued to be exciting and fun!

Discoveries of new collagens, mutations causingcartilage, bone and blood vessel disorders

Scientific progress depends onthe achievements of individuals

but

it also requires collaboration,open communication and teamwork

Gordon Research Conference on Collagen 1995

Communication through meetings

Teacher and trainee

A scientist who wants to make a lasting contribution must

(1) strive to make important discoveries and

(2) train the future generations ofscientists

Doing research and training future generations of scientists

It is like starting rings in water and seeing how they grow

April 2011

And the rings can spread far

Final lessons

Scientific enquiry – – “begins as a story about a Possible World – a story which we invent and criticize and modify as we go along, so that it ends by being, as nearly as we can make it, a story about real life.”

“– any scientist of any age who wants to make important discoveries must study important problems. – – – A problem must be such that it matters what the answer is – whether to science generally or to mankind.”

Medawar, PB (1979) Advice to a Young Scientist. Human Action Wisely Undertaken.Harper & Row, New York.

(1) Do not be afraid of choosing big, challenging problems – why waste time and efforts on minor questions?

(2) Think strategically – break big problems into a seriesof smaller steps, but stay focused on the big, distant goals.

(3) Do not be so afraid of having ideas “stolen” as to preventexchange of ideas and collaborations.

The “Olsen” rules:

Thank you !