figure a

David M. Jacobowitz, Ph.D.

ACNP Fellow Emeritus

Dr. David M. Jacobowitz (“Dr. J”) passed away on 7 September 2018 at the age of 87. Dr. Jacobowitz was a Fellow Emeritus in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He became a member in 1977.

Dr. Jacobowitz is best known as a tremendously talented neuroanatomist and technical innovator. His laboratory produced complete maps of 13 neuronal systems—more than have come out of any other single laboratory in the world, including, for example, catecholamine/acetylcholinesterase, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone, calcitonin gene-related peptide, galanin, atrial natriuretic factor, growth hormone-releasing hormone, bovine pancreatic polypeptide, motilin, melanin-concentrating hormone, and peptide receptor binding sites (CRF, CFRP, and galanin angiotensin II). His lab was also at the forefront in proteomics, applying two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to chart the charge, and relative concentrations of thousands of proteins in 25 regions of rat brain. The approach led the Jacobowitz team to discover the mammalian homolog of calretinin, a brain-enriched calcium-binding protein. A mutation in this protein was subsequently discovered to be expressed in mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer.

Dr. Jacobowitz was born in 1931. He grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and graduated from City College of New York in 1953. It was during his subsequent army service that Jacobowitz first acquired histological techniques for staining tissues that he would perfect over the course of his highly productive career, which included over 450 scientific reports. He received a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from Ohio State. As a post-doc and later associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Jacobowitz developed innovative methods for fluorescent labeling of catecholamine neurons and completed the first study of the coexistence of catecholamines in cholinergic nerves. In 1971 Jacobowitz moved to the Laboratory of Clinical Sciences at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, where he remained for 29 years. At NIMH, he established the Section on Histopharmacology. His guiding principle was that knowledge of the building blocks, or “nuts and bolts,” of the brain gives us clues about how the nervous system operates and how it might fail in disease and injury. In 2008, David retired from the NIMH and accepted a position in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, in Bethesda, MD, where he continued to work until 2017.

While his claim to fame was the fine neuroanatomical mapping of brain peptides, transmitters, and peptides, the breadth of David’s impact is difficult to quantify. His generous nature and collaborative spirit contributed in important ways to many important discoveries over the years. He was the best mentor, colleague, and friend anyone could need and will be sorely missed.

David is survived by his wife Ilene, sons Stephen and Robert, and three grandchildren.