Sir John Vane | |
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| Born | John Robert Vane (1927-03-29)29 March 1927 Tardebigge,Worcestershire, England |
| Died | 19 November 2004(2004-11-19) (aged 77) Kent, England |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for | Research onprostaglandins |
| Spouse | |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pharmacology |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Blood flow and its relation to secretion in the stomach and smaller intestine (1952) |
| Doctoral advisor | Geoffrey S. Dawes |
Sir John Robert VaneFRS (29 March 1927 – 19 November 2004)[1] was aBritishpharmacologist who was instrumental in the understanding of howaspirin produces pain-relief and anti-inflammatory effects and his work led to new treatments for heart and blood vessel disease and introduction ofACE inhibitors. He was awarded theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982 along withSune Bergström andBengt Samuelsson for "their discoveries concerningprostaglandins and related biologically active substances".[2]
Born inTardebigge,Worcestershire, John Vane was one of three children and grew up in suburban Birmingham. His father, Maurice Vane, was the son ofJewish Russian immigrants[3] and his mother, Frances Vane, came from aWorcestershire farming family.[2] He attended a local state school from age 5, before moving on toKing Edward's School inEdgbaston,Birmingham. An early interest in chemistry was to prove the inspiration for studyingthe subject at theUniversity of Birmingham in 1944.
During his undergraduate studies, Vane became disenchanted with chemistry but still enjoyed experimentation. WhenMaurice Stacey, the Professor of Chemistry at Birmingham, was asked byHarold Burn to recommend a student to go to Oxford and study pharmacology, Vane jumped at the chance and moved to Burn's department in 1946. Under Burn's guidance, Vane found motivation and enthusiasm for pharmacology, writing:"[the] laboratory gradually became the most active and important centre for pharmacological research in the U.K. and the main school for training of young pharmacologists."[2] Vane completed aBachelor of Science degree inpharmacology and briefly went to work at theUniversity of Sheffield,[citation needed] before coming back to Oxford to complete hisDoctor of Philosophy degree in 1953[4] supervised byGeoffrey Dawes.[5]
After completing his DPhil, Vane worked as an assistant professor the Department of Pharmacology atYale University before moving back to the United Kingdom to take up a post as a senior lecturer in the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at theUniversity of London in 1955.[6][7]
Vane held a post at theUniversity of London for 18 years, progressing from senior lecturer to Professor of Experimental Pharmacology in 1966 (at the Royal College of Surgeons). During that time he developed certainbioassay techniques and focussed his research on bothangiotensin-converting enzyme and the actions of aspirin, eventually leading to the publication with Priscilla Piper of the relationship between aspirin and the prostaglandins that earned him theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982.[8][9][10][11]
In 1973, Vane left his academic post at the Royal College of Surgeons and took up the position as Director of Research at theWellcome Foundation, taking a number of his colleagues with him who went on to form the Prostaglandin Research department. Under the leadership ofSalvador Moncada, this group continued important research that eventually led to the discovery ofprostacyclin.[6]
In 1985, Vane returned to academic life and founded[12] theWilliam Harvey Research Institute at the Medical College ofSt Bartholomew's Hospital (nowBarts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.[13] At the William Harvey Research Institute, Vane's work focused on selective inhibitors ofCOX-2, and the interplay betweennitric oxide andendothelin in the regulation ofvascular function.[6]
Vane was elected aFellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1974.[1] He was also awarded honorary doctorate degrees fromJagiellonian University Medical College (formerly Copernicus Academy of Medicine) in 1977,Paris Descartes University in 1978,Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1980, theUniversity of Aberdeen in 1983 andFu Jen Catholic University in 2011.[2][14] He was awarded theLasker Award in 1977 for the discovery of prostacyclin and was knighted in 1984 for his contributions to science. In 2000, Vane received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[15]
John Vane married, in 1948, (Elizabeth) Daphne Page and had 2 daughters. He died on 19 November 2004 inPrincess Royal University Hospital,Kent, from long-term complications arising from leg and hip fractures he sustained in May of that year.[16] Lady Vane died in 2021.[17]
, accessed 12 October 2020
