Rachel Fuller Brown
Rachel Fuller Brown (born November 23, 1898 in Springfield , Massachusetts , † January 14, 1980 in Albany , New York ) was an American chemist , known for the development of the antifungal drug nystatin with Elizabeth Lee Hazen .
Brown graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor's degree in history and chemistry in 1920 and graduated from the University of Chicago for a doctorate in organic chemistry , but had to drop out before the oral exams in 1926 for financial reasons and worked at the Division of Laboratories and Research of the State Department of Health of New York in Albany. Only seven years later, after completing the oral examinations, she received her Ph.D. in Chicago. At first she worked on a vaccine against pneumonia and a syphilis test. In the late 1940s, she was doing research with microbiologist Elizabeth Lee Hazen (who had her laboratory in New York City) on fungicides produced by microorganisms in the soil. Initially, they only found candidates who were toxic to animals and humans until they came across nystatin (named after the New York State Department of Health) in 1950 . Brown isolated the substance and Hazen tested it for toxicity and antifungal effects. The collaboration took place almost exclusively via the exchange by post. It was the first fungicide that was non-toxic to humans and that could be used against many fungal infections in humans. It was marketed by ER Squibb in 1954 (as Mycostatin). Later it was also used to save works of art and to prevent Dutch elm disease .
Brown and Hazen continued their collaboration and found more antibiotics - phalmycin and capacidin. In 1968, Brown retired.
Both received the Squibb Award in 1955 and were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1994 . In 1975 she received the Chemical Pioneer Award with Hazen (as the first women ever) . In 1957 she became a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences . In 1968 she received the Distinguished Service Award from the New York Department of Health and she received the Rhoda Benham Award from the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas.
Nystatin royalties of over $ 13 million went to scientific research and a foundation (Brown Hazen Fund) for grants.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Brown, Rachel Fuller |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 23, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Springfield , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 14, 1980 |
| Place of death | Albany , New York |