Solomon Berson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Solomon Aaron Berson (1918-04-22)April 22, 1918 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 1972(1972-04-11) (aged 53) |
| Occupation(s) | Physician and scientist |
| Employer | Bronx Veteran's Administration Hospital |
| Known for | Advances in clinical biochemistry |
Solomon Aaron Berson (April 22, 1918 – April 11, 1972) was an Americanphysician andscientist whose discoveries, mostly together withRosalyn Yalow, caused major advances inclinical biochemistry.[1] Five years after Berson's death, Yalow received aNobel Prize, which cannot be awarded posthumously, for their joint work on the radioimmunoassay.[1]
Born inNew York City, Berson was a keen musician and chess player. He graduated from theCity College of New York in 1938.[1] After failing to obtain a place in medical school he earned anMSc (1939) and an anatomy instructorship atNew York University before finally securing a place in NYU medical school in 1941. He completed his degree (Alpha Omega Alpha) in 1945, and after internships inBoston and two years in the army he returned to New York to do aninternal medicine residency at theBronx Veterans Administration Hospital.[1]
Berson's scientific work started in 1950, when he became a member of the Radioisotope Service of the hospital, where he teamed withRosalyn Yalow in what eventually became an historic research partnership. He also set up athyroid service, where his approach was felt lastingly. Their early laboratory work concernediodine andhuman serum albumin metabolism, but later on in the decade they shifted their focus toinsulin, a hormone which was difficult to measure in the blood.[1] They developed theradioimmunoassay, which gave very good results, and published their findings in 1960.[2] They were able to distinguish between two types ofdiabetes,Type I andType II, which have significantly different mechanisms.[3]
With the success of the insulin RIA, Berson and Yalow extended their success to other hormones, such ascorticotropin,gastrin,parathyroid hormone andgrowth hormone, making significant discoveries in their physiology along the way.[1][4]
In 1972, Berson died of a heart attack inAtlantic City while attending aFASEB meeting.[5] Upon his death he was survived by his widow and two daughters.[6]
The Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award was created in Berson's honor byNYU School of Medicine.
Berson, usually together with Yalow, received numerous awards for his work. In 1968, he was elected Murray M. Rosenberg Professor and Chair of Medicine atMount Sinai School of Medicine of theCity University of New York, enjoying great popularity. He also served on the editorial boards of several medical journals. He was elected to theNational Academy of Sciences in 1972.[5] In 1975 Berson and Yalow received theAMA Scientific Achievement Award (Berson posthumously), and two years later Yalow received aNobel Prize (which cannot be awarded posthumously) for their joint work on the radioimmunoassay.[1]
