Jan Wolff Reflects on His Career as He Approaches His 99th Birthday

Clinical Thyroidology®Vol. 35, No. 10 ATA Centennial Anniversary SeriesFree AccessJan Wolff Reflects on His Career as He Approaches His 99th BirthdayJan Wolff, Michael M. Kaplan, and Arthur B. SchneiderJan Wolff National Institutes of Health (Emeritus), Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author, Michael M. Kaplan Associated Endocrinologists, Farmington Hills, Michigan, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author, and Arthur B. Schneider College of Medicine (Emeritus), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:5 Oct 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/ct.2023;35.395-397AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Jan Wolff in 2022In celebration of the American Thyroid Association's centennial anniversary this year, the journal is pleased to share this special interview with the thyroid giant, Dr. Jan Wolff. Dr. Wolff, along with Dr. Israel Chaikoff, are the pair for whom the term the Wolff–Chaikoff effect was coined.TRANSCRIPTION OF THE FIRESIDE CHATMichael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:What was the path that led you from Germany, where you were born, to the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where you met Israel Chaikoff?Jan Wolff:Hitler forced the path. My father was a pediatrician and my mother, Dutch, was a professional violinist. When my father was prevented from practicing in Germany, we went to Holland, where I attended an English boarding school from 1935 to 1937 and then, at age 12, warned of what was coming, we moved to San Francisco. After high school I went to UC Berkeley for my undergraduate, masters, and PhD studies. It is there where I met Israel Chaikoff.Michael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:What were you and Chaikoff trying to do when you observed the “Wolff–Chaikoff effect”? When did you realize your names would endure as a permanent eponym for this phenomenon?Jan Wolff:We initially got radioiodine from tellurium bombardment in the cyclotron and later from what was then called “the pile.” Our project was to see how much T4 (as T3 had not been discovered) could be made by thyroid slices under an iodide load. That is when we bumped into the inhibitory iodide effect on hormone synthesis and later various nonhormone functions (1). Rats showed the same phenomenon in vivo, although it was difficult to maintain high iodide levels in that system. Sid Ingbar and Lew Braverman called this the Wolff–Chaikoff effect. The chemical nature of the iodine-induced effect has still not been settled. An iodination product of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid has been proposed, but this possible mechanism requires further work.Michael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:After medical school and internship in Boston, you went to the NIH [National Institutes of Health], leaving clinical practice behind. How did this happen? During your many years at the NIH, did you ever look back on this decision?Jan Wolff:I had gone to medical school at Harvard and did an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Then, I applied to the U.S. Public Health Service to meet my Selective Service obligation, which is when I joined Edward (Ed) Rall and Jacob (Jack) Robbins at the Clinical Endocrinology Branch of the NIDDK [National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases] of the NIH. In short, I never looked back and remain an emeritus member of the NIH.Michael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:How did you and Janusz Nauman come to publish the important report on the safety of using potassium iodide (KI) in case of a nuclear release?Jan Wolff:The inhibition of organic iodine formation appeared to be a useful tool in protecting the thyroid from internal radiation. The dosage of KI was worked out with much input from the American Thyroid Association and many others. The best understanding came from Russian investigators Il'in et al. (2) and several Ukrainians (3). After the Chernobyl accident, Il'in et al. were politically prevented from early action; the only country that reacted well was Poland under the guidance of Janusz Nauman, who was well versed in the benefits of KI [potassium iodide]. I knew him, and when I learned he had published an article in Polish, I got permission to have him come to the NIH and we made an edited English version (4). Now, everyone knows that potassium iodide prophylaxis is effective, inexpensive, and largely safe.Michael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:It appears that you developed an interest in tubulin (trading one “T” [thyroid] for another “T” [tubulin]). How did this come about?Jan Wolff:The switch to tubulin resulted from an attempt to check if microtubules played a role in thyroid function. They did! But it became clear that tubulin was not unique, as the ability to block intracellular transport was nearly universal. So, we changed our focus to tubulin chemistry.Michael Kaplan and Arthur Schneider:Do you have any advice for beginning or even emeritus scientists?Jan Wolff:Yes. Enjoy the journey. But in case you do not believe me, note the title of a recent New York Times article, “Suddenly, It Looks Like We're in a Golden Age for Medicine” (5). Perhaps there is someone “out there” who will finally determine the exact mechanism of the Wolff–Chaikoff effect. Also, if possible, do it with a spouse as wonderful and supportive as Edie, my wife, whom I met while in medical school and who has a PhD in biochemistry.References1. Wolff J, Chaikoff IL. 1948 Plasma inorganic iodide as a homeostatic regulator of thyroid function. J Biol Chem 174:555–564. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar2. Il'in LA, Arkhangel'skaya GV, Konstantinov YO. Likhtarev IA. Radioactive iodine in the problem of radiation safety. Atomizdat. Moscow (1972). U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Translation TR7536 (Springfield, Virginia, 1974). Google Scholar3. Krajewski P. 1990 Effect of administering stable iodine to the Warsaw population to reduce thyroid content of iodine-131 after the Chernobyl accident. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): IAEA. 257-271. Google Scholar4. Nauman J, Wolff J. 1993 Iodide prophylaxis in Poland after the Chernobyl reactor accident: Benefits and risks. Am J Med 94:524–532. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar5. Wallace-Wells D 2023 June 23 Suddenly, It Looks Like We're in a Golden Age for Medicine. New York Times. Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 35Issue 10Oct 2023 Information© Copyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Jan Wolff, Michael M. Kaplan, and Arthur B. Schneider.Jan Wolff Reflects on His Career as He Approaches His 99th Birthday.Clinical Thyroidology®.Oct 2023.395-397.http://doi.org/10.1089/ct.2023;35.395-397Published in Volume: 35 Issue 10: October 5, 2023PDF download