Henry Borsook

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Henry Borsook (* 1897 in London , † March 6, 1984 in Santa Barbara , California ) was an American biochemist .

Life

Borsook grew up in Toronto from 1907 and studied at the University of Toronto from 1917 . He received his PhD there in both biochemistry and medicine . From 1929 he was assistant professor and later professor of biochemistry at Caltech , where he stayed until his retirement in 1968. After that, he continued his research in Berkeley until 1977 .

He was an early researcher in protein synthesis in the 1920s. With Hugh Huffman, he refuted the view at the time that protein synthesis in the body is the reverse process of the action of proteolytic enzymes such as pepsin or trypsin . ( Paul Zamecnik made the same discovery independently of this .) This was done by applying thermodynamic considerations. In the 1930s he researched the effects of the vitamin B group . Then he dealt with nutritional issues. This also led to practical applications: for example, he developed so-called Multipurpose Food (MPF) based on soybeans . During World War II he worked for the Food and Nutrition Board and after the war as an advisor to the Meals for Millions Foundation , which he founded in 1946 with the philanthropist and restaurant chain owner Clifford Clinton. They wanted to fight world hunger with MPF .

Henry Borsook and Paul Zamecnik are credited with the discovery (1956) that protein synthesis takes place within the cell in the ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum . Back then, Borsook investigated protein synthesis in the human body with the help of radioactive isotopes . He also dealt with hemoglobin and erythropoietin, as well as heart disease.

In 1957 he received the Groedel Memorial Award from the American College of Cardiology .

His hobby was art history , especially the Rococo churches in Bavaria and Tyrol .

Fonts

  • Biosynthesis of Peptides and Proteins , J. Cell Comp. Physiol., Vol. 47, Suppl., 1956, pp. 35-80
  • Vitamins: What they are , Jove Publ. 1982
  • The hungry can't wait , Deutsche Buchgemeinschaft 1989

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Borsook, Henry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American biochemist
DATE OF BIRTH 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH March 6, 1984
Place of death Santa Barbara , California