An active researcher and beloved professor at Geisel School of Medicine for more than 50 years, Gustav (Gus) Lienhard, PhD, died March 31. He joined the Department of Biochemistry in 1972 and throughout his life studied the fundamental question of how our cells take up glucose in response to insulin.
“Gus was part of the fabric of our community for so many years. His work combined the rigor of a true biochemist with the translational impact of a broad thinker,” says James Moseley, PhD, professor and chair of biochemistry and cell biology.
“For decades, Gus was not only as an extraordinary scientist and educator, but a steady and generous presence in our department. His long-standing presence helped shape the culture and continuity of our department in ways that are difficult to fully capture,” Moseley adds. “His commitment to this community—through his research, teaching, mentoring, and the countless informal conversations he shared with students and colleagues alike—has left a lasting mark on all of us.
“It will be hard to walk the halls without expecting to see Gus and his ice bucket, ready for both an experiment and a conversation.”
Lienhard made lasting contributions to the field of cell biology through his work on how insulin signals cells to take in glucose and stave off diabetes—work that is central to current understanding of insulin action and of diabetes.
Insulin is an essential hormone that helps our bodies turn food into energy and manages our blood sugar levels—when glucose (from food and beverages) leaves the bloodstream, insulin is the key that unlocks cells to receive glucose.
Food in the stomach releases a hormone that activates the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream. Fat and muscle cell proteins pump sugar from the blood into these cells, but in-between meals these proteins are hidden inside the cells.
As insulin binds to fat and muscle cells, it triggers the movement of sugar transport proteins from their place of storage inside the cells to the cell surface. As sugar is moved by these transport proteins from the bloodstream into the fat and muscle cells, it enables the cells to return blood sugar levels to normal. Lienhard illuminated each step of this pathway, from the cell-surface protein that binds insulin to the movement of the hidden transporters to the cell surface.
Lienhard’s longtime friend William Wickner, MD, professor of biochemistry and cell biology, met Lienhard 33 years ago. Wickner, then the incoming chair of biochemistry, relocating mid-career from Los Angeles to a new department within a medical school in a small rural town was unsure of what awaited him.
“Gus immediately was an unfailing guide—he was honest and straightforward about the department’s culture and taught me everything I needed to know and I learned it,” Wickner says. “When emergencies arose, Gus was the guy I could count on.”
Wickner and Lienhard soon began sharing walks and daily lunches together that occasionally included other faculty—gatherings he describes as “a rollicking meeting that included gossip, science, and jokes. It was wonderful way to build deep friendships.”
When Wickner retired as chair, Lienhard organized a celebration dinner. It was a convivial evening, filled with plenty of joke telling, a fondness for which the two men shared.
“Gus gave me a thin book by Garrison Keeler entitled Some Pretty Good Jokes,” Wickner recalls. “He knew the kind of jokes I enjoyed. It was signed, ‘with all best wishes, Garrison’ and I thought, wow, Gus went to the trouble to get an actual author to engrave it. I thanked him for that and asked him how he did it. He replied, ‘Oh, no problem. I just signed it myself.’ That was typical of Gus's very dry, understated humor.
“Love is a form of deep friendship, and everybody loved Gus,” Wickner says, “he was a modest, generous, wonderful, caring, loving, warm individual with two great passions: family and science.”
Speaking on behalf of Lienhard’s colleagues, trainees, collaborators, and friends, Moseley says, “We miss him very much.”
A reception to celebrate Lienhard’s life will be held Friday, May 1, at 3:00 PM in Chilcott Auditorium, Vail 120. All who knew him are welcome to share their stories and memories. Please contact Emily Clough for further details and to email photos or messages for inclusion in the event.