Michael N. Hall
Discovered TOR in yeast in 1991 and showed it is a nutrient-sensing controller of growth — two complexes, from yeast to humans
Born 1953, Puerto Rico · Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland · Lasker, Gairdner & Breakthrough Prize laureate
Portrait via Wikimedia Commons
Michael Hall was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Peru and Venezuela, and came to the United States for school before training in molecular biology. As a young professor at the Biozentrum in Basel, Switzerland, he studied how yeast cells respond to the drug rapamycin. In 1991 his team found the genes rapamycin needs in order to work and named their product TOR — 'Target Of Rapamycin'. This was the original discovery on which the whole field is built.
Hall went on to show that TOR sits at the heart of a nutrient-sensing system controlling cell growth in organisms from yeast to humans, and that it forms two different machines, TORC1 and TORC2, with separate jobs. His lab connected TOR to metabolism, to the actin cytoskeleton, and to diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
For discovering TOR, Hall has received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, among many others. The milestones below follow his contributions gathered in this Atlas.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | M | Targets for cell cycle arrest by the immunosuppressant rapamycin in yeast HEI1991 The founding discovery: Hall's team finds the TOR genes and coins the name Target Of Rapamycin. |
| 2002 | M | Two TOR complexes, only one of which is rapamycin sensitive, have distinct roles in cell growth control LOE2002 Reveals that TOR forms two distinct complexes, only one of which is blocked by rapamycin. |
| 2004 | M | Mammalian TOR complex 2 controls the actin cytoskeleton and is rapamycin insensitive JAC2004 Shows that mammalian TORC2 controls the actin cytoskeleton and is rapamycin-insensitive. |
| 2006 | R | TOR signaling in growth and metabolism WUL2006 Landmark review synthesizing TOR signalling in growth and metabolism across organisms. |
| 2008 | A | Adipose-specific knockout of raptor results in lean mice with enhanced mitochondrial respiration POL2008 Adipose raptor knockout yields lean, metabolically protected mice, revealing mTORC1's role in fat metabolism. |
| 2011 | M | Activation of mTORC2 by association with the ribosome ZIN2011 mTORC2 is activated by direct association with the ribosome downstream of PI3K. |
| 2012 | M | Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling DUR2012 Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signalling through alpha-ketoglutarate production. |
| 2013 | R | Where is mTOR and what is it doing there? BETZ2013 Review of where mTOR localizes and its compartmentalized functions. |
| 2013 | M | mTOR complex 2-Akt signaling at mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAM) regulates mitochondrial physiology BET2013 mTORC2-Akt signalling localizes to mitochondria-associated ER membranes to regulate mitochondrial function. |
| 2013 | M | Quantitative phosphoproteomics reveal mTORC1 activates de novo pyrimidine synthesis ROB2013 Quantitative phosphoproteomics show mTORC1 activates de novo pyrimidine synthesis. |
| 2014 | R | Making new contacts: the mTOR network in metabolism and signalling crosstalk SHI2014 Review of the mTOR network in metabolism and signalling crosstalk. |
| 2016 | R | mTOR Signaling Confers Resistance to Targeted Cancer Drugs GUR2016 Review of how mTOR signalling confers resistance to targeted cancer therapies. |
| 2017 | A | mTORC2 Promotes Tumorigenesis via Lipid Synthesis GUR2017 mTORC2 promotes tumorigenesis through control of de novo lipid synthesis. |
| 2018 | R | mTOR signalling and cellular metabolism are mutual determinants in cancer MOS2018 Review of mTOR and cellular metabolism as mutual determinants in cancer. |
| 2022 | R | mTOR substrate phosphorylation in growth control BAT2022 Review cataloguing direct mTOR substrates and how mTORC1/2 achieve substrate specificity. |
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Michael N. Hall is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- past Prague Metabolism and Signaling Symposium 2026 ↗ 24–27 Jun 2026 · Prague, Czech Republic · Tier 1