Frederick R. Maxfield

Frederick R. Maxfield
EducationUnion College (BS)
Cornell University (PhD)
Known forEndocytosis, intracellular cholesterol transport, cellular membrane trafficking
AwardsNIH MERIT Award
Highly Cited Researcher

Frederick R. Maxfield is an American biochemist and the Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine. He is recognized for his pioneer work on cellular membrane trafficking, endocytosis, and intracellular cholesterol transport.

Early life and education

Maxfield completed his Bachelor of Science in chemistry at Union College in June 1971. He earned his PhD in biophysical chemistry from Cornell University in May 1977 under the supervision of Harold A. Scheraga. From August 1977 to December 1979, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the National Cancer Institute under Ira Pastan.

In 1979, Maxfield joined the faculty at the New York University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, later rising to Professor. He moved to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 1987 as Professor of Pathology and Physiology. In 1995, he was appointed Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Professor and Chair of Biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medical College, a department leadership role he held until 2021. He also served as Interim Chair of Cell and Developmental Biology at Weill Cornell from 2014 till 2021.

Research

The Maxfield laboratory utilizes quantitative biological and physical methods, including fluorescence microscopy, to analyze dynamic processes in living cells. Early investigations focused on measuring endosomal pH levels, mapping endocytic pathways, and characterizing intracellular cholesterol transport mechanisms.

His research focuses on cellular lipid transport, endocytosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. His laboratory identified digestive exophagy; a process where macrophages degrade aggregated low-density lipoproteins (LDL) extracellularly, contributing to foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. His team also studied intracellular cholesterol transport via STARD4, microglial degradation of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's disease, and experimental treatments for Niemann–Pick disease, type C.

Notable former lab members include physician-scientist Peter Marks, who completed his Ph.D. under Maxfield's supervision.

Leadership and honors

Maxfield has served as President of the Harvey Society and the New York Society for Experimental Microscopy. In 2020, he was elected a Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology.

In 2019, he received Fletcher McDowell Award from Burke Neurological Institute.

Publications

Maxfield has authored or co-authored nearly 270 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Notable papers include:

References

  1. ↑ "Weill Cornell Biochemist Receives Prestigious NIH MERIT Award". WCM Newsroom. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
  2. 1 2 3 "Frederick R. Maxfield, Ph.D. Profile". Weill Cornell Medicine VIVO Directory. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Mayor S, Presley JF, Maxfield FR (1993). "Sorting of membrane components near the cell surface and during endocytic processing in endosomes". Journal of Cell Biology. 121 (6): 1257–1269. doi:10.1083/jcb.121.6.1257. PMC 2119688. PMID 8509148.
  4. ↑ "Highly Cited Researchers (h>100) according to their Google Scholar Citations public profiles | Ranking Web of Universities: Webometrics ranks 30000 institutions". www.webometrics.info.
  5. ↑ Maxfield FR, Schlessinger J, Shechter Y, Pastan I, Willingham MC (1978). "Collection of insulin, EGF, and alpha2-macroglobulin in the same patches on the surface of cultured fibroblasts and internalization via the same vesicles". Cell. 14 (4): 929–941. doi:10.1038/273067b0. PMID 211422.
  6. ↑ "Frederick R. Maxfield, Ph.D. Profile". Burke Neurological Institute. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Dr. Frederick Maxfield". WCM Newsroom. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
  8. ↑ Maxfield, Frederick R.; van Meer, Gerrit (August 2010). "Cholesterol, the central lipid of mammalian cells". Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 22 (4): 422–429. doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2010.05.004. ISSN 1879-0410. PMC 2910236. PMID 20627678.
  9. ↑ Maxfield FR, Wüstner D (2012). Analysis of cholesterol trafficking with fluorescent probes. Methods in Cell Biology. Vol. 108. pp. 367–393. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-386487-1.00017-1. PMC 3626500. PMID 22325611.
  10. ↑ "Frederick R. Maxfield - Faculty Profile". Weill Cornell Medicine VIVO. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Maxfield FR (2020). "Digestive Exophagy: Phagocyte digestion of objects too large for phagocytosis". Traffic. 21 (1): 8–14. doi:10.1111/tra.12708. PMC 7050189. PMID 31652012.
  12. ↑ "Frederick R. Maxfield, Ph.D. Profile". Burke Neurological Institute. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series: Dr. Peter Marks". Weill Cornell Medicine Events. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "ASCB Fellows". ASCB. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
  15. 1 2 "Frederick R. Maxfield". Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Retrieved 2026-09-16.
  16. ↑ "Maxfield FR - Search Results". National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 18 September 2026.