Jane C. Wright

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Jane C. Wright

Jane Cooke Wright (born November 30, 1919 in New York City , USA ; † February 19, 2013 in Guttenberg (New Jersey) , USA) was an American cancer researcher who primarily focused on the development and optimization of chemotherapy and as a first scientist identified the anti-cancer drug methotrexate .

Life

Jane Wright was the daughter of teacher Corinne Cooke and doctor Louis T. Wright. The latter was one of the earliest African-American graduates from Harvard . In New York City she attended a private school until 1938, today's Ethical Culture Fieldstone School. After finishing school, Wright first completed an art degree at Smith College in Massachusetts.

In 1942 Jane Wright began studying medicine at New York Medical College and graduated in 1945 with a doctorate. Subsequently she worked as an assistant doctor at Bellevue Hospital (1945-1946) and from 1948 at Harlem Hospital (1947-1948) in New York.

From 1949 Jane Wright researched together with her father at the Cancer Research Center of Harlem Hospital, which he then directed. When Louis Wright died in 1952, Jane Wright took over his position. She also accepted a position as director of cancer research at New York University Bellevue Medical Center in 1955 .

In addition, Jane Wright was also active in the President's Commission on Heart Disease from 1964 and founded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) together with other cancer researchers. At New York Medical College she was from 1967 professor of surgery, head of the cancer research department and employed as deputy dean. Jane Wright later became the first female president of the New York Cancer Society (1971) and vice-president of the African Medical and Research Foundation (1973-1984).

Jane C. Wright was married to lawyer David D. Jones Jr. since 1947, with whom she had two daughters. She died in Guttenberg, New Jersey, aged 93.

research

As part of her research, Jane Wright spent a long time studying the effects of certain anti- cancer drugs on cancerous tumors. In doing so, she drew both laboratory studies on mice and human cell cultures, as well as the effect on cancer patients. Among other things, she was able to identify triethylenemelamine and methotrexate as anti-cancer agents.

In 1964, together with researchers from the New York University School of Medicine, she succeeded in introducing large quantities of cancer-inhibiting drugs through a catheter into tumor-affected organs. In the field of chemotherapy, Jane Wright focused primarily on making treatment more effective and minimizing side effects.

Awards

Jane Wright received several awards throughout her life.

In addition, in 2011 an award, the Jane C. Wright, MD, Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Conquer Cancer Foundation, was named after her. In addition, the American Association for Cancer Research established a lectureship in honor of Jane Wright ("Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship").

selected Writings

  • JC Wright, JP Cobb, SL Gumport, FM Golomb, and D. Safadi: Investigation of the Relationship Between Clinical and Tissue Response to Chemotherapeutic Agents on Human Cancer . In: New England Journal of Medicine 257 (1957), pp. 1207-1211.
  • JC Wright, JI Plummer, RS Coidan, and LT Wright: The in Vivo and in Vitro Effects of Chemotherapeutic Agents on Human Neoplastic Diseases . In: The Harlem Hospital Bulletin 6 (1953), pp. 58-63.
  • JC Wright: Cancer Chemotherapy: Past, Present, and Future - Part I . Journal of the National Medical Association, 76/8 (1984), pp. 773-784.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wright, Jane Cooke . In: Encyclopedia of World Biography , 2008
  2. ↑ Allen Lichter, MD: In Memoriam: ASCO Remembers Founding Member Dr. Jane Cooke Wright . In: ASCO Connection Online Exclusives , February 22, 2013.
personal data
SURNAME Wright, Jane C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jones, Jane; Wright, Jane Cook
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cancer researcher
DATE OF BIRTH November 30, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , USA
DATE OF DEATH 19th February 2013
Place of death Guttenberg (New Jersey)