▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
In 2021, we continue to witness the new achievements brought by science, and we have to say goodbye to the scientists who have created immortal legends. Among them, some have changed a field of research with revolutionary discoveries, some have found new hope for countless patients... When these great scientists leave us, they will become an eternal beacon of science, remembered for us and led us to a better future. Here, let us remember those scientific superstars who fell this year.
For a scientist, it is undoubtedly a great happiness that his results can continue to appear around the world and benefit future generations after birth.
Nuclear magnetic resonance is undoubtedly such an epoch-making breakthrough. Today, MRI has long been widely used in a variety of scenarios in chemistry, structural biology, and medicine, but in the 1950s, the use of this emerging technology was mainly concentrated in physics laboratories. The key person who brought MRI to the wider field was Professor Richard Ernst, the nobel laureate in chemistry in 1991.
Professor Richard Ernst (Credit: ETH-BIBLIOTHEK Z RICH, BILDARCHIV/FOTOGRAF: UNBEKANNT/PORTR_13862/CC BY-SA 4.0)
In the 1960s, Professor Ernst revolutionized the nuclear magnetic resonance method of the time. His Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance became the cornerstone of the two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance that was born in the 1970s and also promoted the emergence of magnetic resonance imaging. Since then, Professor Ernst has continued to promote the development and application of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, and his tutorials have become classics in this field. In June, the legendary man who was self-absorbed, addicted to work and loved traditional music and culture passed away, but the instruments that were busy in laboratories and hospitals were all reminders of the swiss old man's eternal contribution.
Equally epoch-making breakthroughs were PCR. The advent of this technology has revolutionized biology, ushering in an era of rapid, trace amounts of DNA analysis. The birth of PCR is inseparable from an important discovery by microbiologist Professor Thomas Brock.
Professor Thomas Brock (Credit: Tdb-at-yellowstone-2002.jpg: Steepconederivative work: Viriditas, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)
When he first isolated extreme heat-resistant microorganisms in a hot spring in Yellowstone, the United States, perhaps he did not expect that this discovery, along with a variety of high-temperature-resistant microorganisms he has found around the world since then, became the "father of PCR" Kary Mullis more than 20 years later to break through temperature limits and finally develop PCR. This polymerase chain reaction connects a whole new era of biology, and Professor Brock is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of this era. In April, the 95-year-old Professor Brock died at home, but he and the high-temperature-resistant microorganisms he discovered will be remembered for a long time with every take-off in biology.
Disease will always be an important threat to the health and longevity of all mankind. And those scientists who fight in laboratories and hospitals are the guardians of human health. This year, several scientists who have made outstanding contributions to disease research have left us, but we will continue to benefit from their results. Every patient who has been treated and continues to live happily is the best consolation for these scientific giants.
Professor David Livingston (Credit: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
If a scientist can change the way we respond to cancer, Professor David Livingston deserves it. Professor Livingston elucidated the mechanism of action of multiple oncogenes and tumor suppressors, including brca1 and BRCA2, which are closely related to breast and ovarian cancer, and contributed to the reclassification of breast cancer. Professor Livingston's work has not only become the cornerstone of more basic cancer research, but also brought breast and ovarian cancer treatment and early screening into reality.
In addition to his academic achievements, Professor Livingston is an outstanding mentor. The scientist, who has worked at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for nearly half a century, has produced nearly 200 young scholars and doctoral students, many of whom will become Nobel laureates. When the news of Professor Livingston's sudden death reached the Institute, everyone here regretted it. After all, the cancer scientist's unfulfilled wish is to continue to solve the challenging cancer puzzles.
Arguably, Professor Livingston's work found a breakthrough in breast cancer research, and after that, more scientists' efforts made the treatment of breast cancer a reality. Dr. José Baselga is one of those who deserves to be remembered.
Dr José Baselga discusses future treatments for cancer at the WuXi AppTec Global Forum 2021
In the lab, he participated in the development of antibodies to HER2, a key target of breast cancer, and developed the first revolutionary monoclonal antibody targeting HER2, trastuzumab; after becoming the executive vice president of oncology research and development at AstraZeneca, he promoted the research and development of a heavyweight breast cancer drug Enhertu, allowing countless breast cancer patients to see the hope of life again.
In his hometown of Barcelona, Dr. Baselga established the Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute and developed the then-unknown Vall d'Hebron Hospital into a major cancer research hub. Not long ago, Dr. Baselga was imagining the promise of precision medicine helping cancer treatment. The sudden death of this 61-year-old "modern oncology giant" is a sigh of relief.
Helen Free (Image: Helen Free)
In 2010, the Invention of the Collistix Test Strip for Blood Glucose was selected as a milestone in the history of American chemistry. One of the inventors of the Crinistix test strip was Helen Free, a chemist who wanted to be an English teacher in college.
During his tenure at Miles Laboratories, helen and her husband Alfred Free were tasked with further developing the blood glucose test pill Clenitest. As the first tool to detect blood glucose levels in urine anytime, anywhere without the need for laboratory instruments, the promotion of Clinitest has provided great convenience for diabetics. Since then, the Free couple has developed a number of high-impact test tools, including the first dip-and-read blood glucose test tool, Clinifix, a hepatitis A test tool, and Multistix, a urine test strip that can detect multiple indicators.
After retiring, Helen continued to shine in the field of science education, allowing more people to understand the positive role of chemistry in our lives. In May, the 98-year-old passed away.
The development of modern medicine not only strives for greater survival opportunities for patients with dangerous diseases such as cancer and diabetes, but also tries to erase some diseases from modern society. And this process requires every link in the entire chain from basic research to drug development.
As a legend in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Tadaka Yamada, who entered the academic circle after the doctor came out of the ivory tower, changed the lives of countless patients in many ways. Dr. Tadaka Yamada served as chair of the Department of Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan, but in the end he decided to influence patients in a more direct way.
Dr. Tadaka Yamada discusses the past and future of gene therapy at the WuXi AppTec Global Forum
After leaving academia, Dr. Tadao Yamada never forgot his original intention to help patients, especially those in poor areas: at GlaxoSmithKline, he proposed the establishment of a laboratory specializing in malaria and tuberculosis; then at Takeda, he created a vaccine division, which is currently in the final stages of dengue vaccine development; and as the head of the Gates Foundation's global health program, Dr. Tadao Yamada advanced the development of the meningitis vaccine MenAfriVac, an inexpensive vaccine that prevented meningitis A from erupting for many years... ... In August, Dr. Tadaka Yamada passed away sadly, and the pharmaceutical industry lost a global leader.
Just as this December approached, Professor Richard Lerner, a well-known chemist and former director of the Scripps Institute, also passed away at the age of 83. In the field of science, Professor Lerner has been star-studded and fruitful, leaving many marks in the history of science. In terms of education, he has also made outstanding contributions, not only shaping the Scripps Institute into a world-renowned institution, but also closely connecting the scientific community with industry, and condensing the scientific community in San Diego into one of the most dynamic biomedical translation centers in the world. A few years ago, WuXi AppTec and a number of the world's top academic research institutions jointly launched a platform called DELopen to provide researchers around the world with a library of DEL compounds for target screening free of charge, and Professor Lerner is the chairman of the scientific advisory board of this project.
In 2016, Professor Lerner delivered a ribbon-cutting ceremony at WuXi AppTec's San Diego site
For Chinese readers, in 2021, we have also lost many great scientists. The day of May 22 this year is unforgettable, the day we lost two soldiers in 10 minutes. An invention has helped hundreds of millions of people around the world get rid of hunger, and Academician Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", is undoubtedly a great scientist who benefits all mankind. From the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain, to the super hybrid rice with a yield of thousands of kilograms per mu, Yuan Longping's team has repeatedly broken through the limits of hybrid rice; and his training courses for other countries around the world have made hybrid rice technology flourish around the world.
The road opened up by Academician Yuan Longping in the field has allowed us to lead us to a world without hunger; and the pioneering work of Academician Wu Mengchao, the "father of Chinese liver surgery", in front of the operating table, has lifted countless people out of the desperate situation of life. After practicing medicine for more than 70 years, Academician Wu Mengchao has filled the gap in liver surgery in China and made this field the forefront of the world. He created a new theory of liver anatomy, completed the world's first case of hepatic lobectomy, established a bloodless liver resection at room temperature... Academician Wu Mengchao not only created China's hepatobiliary surgery, but also trained a large number of professionals, leaving us with a rich wealth.
In 2021, there are still many shining science superstars falling.
Professor Stephen Warren, who discovered the causative gene for fragile X syndrome, Professor Julius Schachter, who nearly eliminated the blinding disease of trachoma, and Dr. Emil Freireich, who developed innovative treatments for childhood leukemia, traced the mechanism of the disease and found a cure for us.
Professor Edmond Fischer, nobel laureate who discovered a universal mechanism of cell regulation, the first scientist to trace the genetic lineage with mitochondrial DNA, Professor Bryan Sykes, academician Wu Xinzhi, who proposed a new theory of modern human origins, and the famous ecologist E. Professor O. Wilson, they give us a new perspective on the workings and evolution of life...
The Slovaks are gone, but their achievements have long been integrated into scientific research and even every inch of your and my life, changing the face of the world. They have taken away what we have suffered and feared, leaving a rich and precious legacy. Hats off to these great scientists!
Image source: 123RF
Resources:
[4] Helen Free (1923-2021). from https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/women-scientists/helen-m-free.html
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