Jonathan Allen Cohn

     Throughout my career, I have been committed to service as an investigator, as a physician providing care in Gastroenterology, and as a mentor/educator for the next generation of physician/scientists.

     As an investigator, my independent research program began in 1984 when I moved to St. Louis to join the faculty at Washington Univ. Building on my prior training in Biochemistry and Genetics (as a graduate student at Rockefeller) and in Cell Biology (as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale), my lab initially focused on trying to identify the effector proteins which control transepithelial chloride secretion when colon epithelial cells are stimulated by agents causing cAMP-mediated secretory diarrhea. Once we developed methods to address this issue in colonocytes, we performed similar studies comparing airway epithelial cells from individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) versus healthy controls; we hoped to identify an effector protein showing an abnormal isoelectric point in CF since this could have led to discovering the CF gene. When the gene causing CF (CFTR) was identified by others using a different strategy, we then focused on the cell biology of this gene’s protein product, CFTR. This work led to discoveries which defined the role of CFTR in human pathobiology and which defined the mechanisms by which CF-causing mutations cause CFTR to malfunction. From the outset, my hope was to work on new therapies for CF, secretory diarrhea and related diseases. Building on discoveries from our lab and others, several companies began working on new drugs for these conditions and I gradually shifted my focus in this direction. Starting in the mid-1990’s, I advised and then helped to lead the CF Foundation's drug development program. Working with a modest level of seed funding and a novel venture philanthropy model, we built a program which transformed CF into a treatable disease and which generated over $5 billion in royalty income.  

     Regarding patient care in Gastroenterology, I have been clinically active as an ABIM-certified gastroenterologist since 1983. I served for five years as an Associate Editor for the journal, Gastroenterology, where my focus was manuscripts related to pancreatology. I’ve authored chapters in major textbooks (e.g., Yamada) on pancreas diseases and on the GI complications of CF. In addition to seeing patients with these issues, I also have had a special interest in the GI complications of diabetes.

     Serving as a mentor/educator to younger physician/scientists has also been a priority throughout my career.  While on Duke's faculty, I supervised the training of more than 70 postdoctoral fellows (mostly in Gastroenterology), graduate students (in Cell Biology) and undergraduates.  From this group, dozens advanced to faculty positions and about half of these became principal investigators with independent research funding. I also have played leadership roles promoting the support of young investigators by private organizations including the CF Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).