David Julius

Julius discovered TRPV1, an ion channel expressed in pain-sensing neurons that is activated by capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot. His team cloned TRPV1 from sensory neurons in the late 1990s, revealing that the same receptor also responds to painful heat above approximately 43°C. This discovery showed how the nervous system converts chemical and thermal stimuli into the sensation of pain.

Julius also identified TRPM8, the ion channel activated by menthol and cold temperatures, publishing this finding in 2002. Together, TRPV1 and TRPM8 explain how we perceive heat and cold at the molecular level. His lab has also characterized receptors for other irritant compounds, including those in wasabi and garlic.

Julius shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ardem Patapoutian of Scripps Research, who discovered the PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 mechanosensitive ion channels. Both scientists were recognized for uncovering the molecular basis of how we sense temperature, touch, and pain.

Julius is a professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and his laboratory at UCSF continues to investigate the molecular mechanisms of somatosensation and pain.