Frank James Dixon (March 9,[1] 1920 – February 8, 2008) was an American biomedical researcher, known for his research intoautoimmunity – diseases of theimmune system that can damage other organs of the body – as well as for developing radioactive labeling techniques to study proteins.[2] He held a chair in the pathology department of theUniversity of Pittsburgh (1951–61). In 1961, he co-founded theScripps Research Institute, and was its inaugural director (1961–86).
Dixon was born inSt. Paul, Minnesota, in 1920.[1] His father was amachinist; his mother, Rosa (née Kuhfeld) was the daughter of an Austrian immigrant who worked as an engineer on the railways. His father was also associated with theFarmer–Labor Party; his biographerMichael Oldstone notes that Dixon was brought up in a "progressive, liberal environment with an appreciation of the workingman".[3]
In 1936, he went to theUniversity of Minnesota, at first studying mathematics and then medicine; he received his bachelor's degree and M.D. in 1942.[3][4] He joined theUnited States Navy in 1943,[5] serving in the Pacific and in Japan in the medical corps of theUnited States Marines, with the rank of lieutenant, and receiving thePurple Heart.[3]
After completing his military service, Dixon worked as a research assistant underShields Warren in the pathology department ofHarvard Medical School (1946–48), gaining experience withradioisotopes, and then held the position of instructor inWashington University in St. Louis's pathology department (1948–51). In 1951, he was appointed to a chair in the pathology department of theUniversity of Pittsburgh.[3] In 1961, with four colleagues from Pittsburgh, Dixon co-founded theScripps Research Institute inLa Jolla,San Diego, and served as its inaugural director until 1986, when he was succeeded byRichard Lerner.[3][5] He retired in 1987.[4] Postdoctoral fellows whom he trained while at Scripps includeDavid Talmage.[3]
Dixon's early research after the Second World War was into tagging proteins withradioactive isotopes, in particularthose of iodine, to enable the location of the radiolabeled proteins to be determined.[4][6] Similar methods remain in wide use.[1][6]
He then used the radiolabeling technique to researchserum sickness, which occurred when animalserum containing antibodies was used to treat people with bacterial infections. He showed in experimental animals that high levels ofcomplexes between antibody and proteins could be demonstrated in tissues that were injured in cases of serum sickness, such as the kidneys, heart, blood vessels and joints. He also showed that these immune complexes led toinflammation, via activating thecomplement cascade.[1][6] The results were applicable to other diseases includingsystemic lupus erythematosus, anautoimmune disease.[1][4]
At Scripps in the 1960s, withMichael Oldstone, he showed how persistent viral infections could also result in the deposition of immune complexes, leading to autoimmunity.[4][6]
Dixon was married to Marion (née Edwards), whom he met at the University of Minnesota; they had a daughter and two sons. He died from heart disease on February 8, 2008, in La Jolla.[3]
Dixon's awards include theGairdner Foundation International Award (1969),[7] theLasker Award (1975),[3] theDickson Prize in Medicine (1976),[8] and theRous-Whipple Award (1979).[9] He was elected a member of theUnited States National Academy of Sciences in 1971.[3]
He was president of theAmerican Association of Immunologists and the American Association of Pathologists, and served as editor of the review journalAdvances in Immunology.[3] In 1981, he was a founding member of theWorld Cultural Council.[10]
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