Careers in Health and Medicine

Mark Roth

Cell biologist
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, Washington

Education:
Bachelor of Science, 1979, Biology, University of Oregon
Doctor of Philosophy, 1984, Molecular biology, University of Colorado at Boulder

In 2007, University of Oregon graduate Mark Roth received a $500,000 award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation—a fellowship that is often called a genius grant. Roth’s grant-winning research lead to a method of metabolic suspension using a hydrogen sulfide compound that results in reversible “hibernation on demand” in mice.  

Humans have that same metabolic flexibility, says Roth, and can substantially slow respiration and heartbeat in response to environmental stress: think of hypothermia victims submerged in freezing water for extended periods who have been revived and gone on to live normal lives. “By adding a small amount of hydrogen sulfide, you can dim the need for oxygen,” he says, “extending the survival limits of unperturbed mammals against the primary cause of death, which is low oxygen.” Applying Roth’s method to critical care patients—heart attack and stroke victims, for example, or soldiers who have a long wait before they get to an operating room—will save lives. “By slowing down metabolism, you can buy time in critical care medicine,” says Roth.

Roth took a roundabout path to genius. In 1976, he came to the UO on a track scholarship. “Well, I was not that fast, and I was not that smart, either!” he laughs. “I became very persistent.” Roth says that, at first, he wasn’t particularly interested in science, but was positively influenced by physics professor Russell Donnelly. “He was teaching us why rainbows happen, in this comfortable environment that was just like your grandfather telling you stuff that’s neat.” His curiosity piqued, Roth branched out into chemistry and biology classes.

In the sciences, says Roth, having a high degree of curiosity is every bit as important as earning a high GPA. His UO professors happily allowed students to explore their own ideas, supporting and demystifying the research process. “I was incredibly lucky to be here with a group of mentors who were willing to take chances, experiment and be wrong, again and again, in order to find answers.”

Photo courtesy of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation