Dr. Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist whose career demonstrates how fundamental medical research can eventually make a meaningful difference for patients. Based at NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Pacold works at the intersection of radiation oncology, biochemistry and cellular metabolism.
Pacold’s academic background combines medicine and laboratory science. He earned degrees in chemistry and biology from Indiana University Bloomington, a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Oxford, and his MD from Harvard Medical School. He subsequently trained in radiation oncology and developed a research career focused on understanding how cells process nutrients and respond to their environment.
One of his most important scientific contributions has involved the metabolism of coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, a molecule that cells need to produce energy. Pacold and his colleagues discovered that the enzyme HPDL is involved in a previously unknown metabolic pathway responsible for producing part of CoQ10.
That discovery became particularly important when researchers connected the pathway to a rare genetic disease. HPDL deficiency can cause severe neurological problems, including worsening movement difficulties, muscle spasms and, in some cases, early death.
The research eventually moved beyond the laboratory. In an experimental treatment at NYU Langone, Pacold and his colleagues used a CoQ10 precursor called 4-hydroxy-benzoate in an effort to compensate for the metabolic problem. The results were remarkable: a young boy who had experienced severe difficulties walking was able to walk longer distances and eventually run again after beginning treatment.
The work is notable because it represents an example of “bench-to-bedside” medicine—taking a fundamental scientific discovery and exploring whether it can help a real patient. It may also have implications for other rare disorders involving CoQ10 production and could eventually inform research into broader neurodegenerative diseases.
Pacold’s accomplishments received further recognition in 2026 when the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health selected him for the Paul-Gallin Trailblazer Prize for Physician-Scientists. The award recognizes physician-scientists whose research translates basic discoveries into new approaches for treating disease.
For MoversAndShakers.io, Pacold is a particularly compelling example of a doctor pushing medical science forward. His work shows how asking fundamental questions about cellular biology can lead to new possibilities for patients with diseases that previously had few treatment options.
