Melvin Cohn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1922 New York City, New York, US |
| Died | (aged 96) San Diego, California, US |
| Education | New York University (PhD, 1949) |
| Spouses | |
| Awards | Elanco Research Award(1956) Sandoz Prize(1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology |
| Institutions | Pasteur Institute Washington University in St. Louis Stanford University Salk Institute |
Melvin Cohn (1922 – October 23, 2018) was an American immunologist who co-founded theSalk Institute for Biological Studies inLa Jolla, California. He demonstrated thatimmunoglobulins andwhite blood cells interact directly withpathogens to protect the body frominfection, and is considered a pioneer in the research ofregulation of gene expression.[1]
Cohn was born in New York City in 1922. Although both of his parents worked in law, he chose to study physics at theCity College of New York. After graduating in 1940, he entered the graduate school ofColumbia University and earned his master's degree in chemistry.[1][2]
During World War II, Cohn was drafted into theUnited States Army and served in a medical research unit in thePacific Theater. After the end of the war, he was sent toHiroshima, Japan, in 1945 to study the after-effects of theatomic bombing of the city.[1] He also diagnosed patients affected by a majordiphtheria epidemic in the country.[2]
After being discharged from the army in 1946, he attendedNew York University and earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1949 with a specialization inimmunoglobulins.[2][3]
From 1949 Cohn worked in Paris, France, at thePasteur Institute, researching genes and cells with the French scientistJacques Monod, who later won theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[2]
From 1955 to 1958, Cohn served as professor ofmicrobiology at theWashington University School of Medicine inSt. Louis, Missouri. In 1959, he moved toStanford University School of Medicine inPalo Alto, California, where he was professor of biochemistry.[3] Cohn's reputation as a leading researcher in molecular biology attracted the attention ofJonas Salk, who was planning to build theSalk Institute for Biological Studies. They struck a friendship as Cohn drove Salk around theSan Francisco Bay Area looking at potential sites.[2]
In 1961,[1] when Salk decided to build his institute inLa Jolla, California, he invited Cohn andRenato Dulbecco to serve as co-founders, which they both accepted despite the risks involved in joining a new venture that was still short of money.[2] Cohn's wife, biologistSuzanne Bourgeois, also joined them.[2]
Cohn studied theimmune system at the Salk Institute for the next 57 years. He demonstrated that immunoglobulins andwhite blood cells react directly topathogens to protect the body from infection, and developed computer models to predict the immune system's response to infections.[1]
Cohn marriedRuby Burman, a theater scholar and authority onSamuel Beckett, in 1946. They divorced in 1961.[4] He later married again, to biologist Suzanne Bourgeois.[2]
Cohn died inSan Diego, California, on October 23, 2018, at the age of 96.[1][2][5]
Some of the honors and awards Cohn had received:[3]
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