Medical Researcher and Philanthropist Laszlo Bito Dies at 87

His work contributed to the development of the drug Xalatan, a treatment for glaucoma.

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Bito with his wife Olivia at a book launch in June 2019

ANDREA PÓK

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On November 14, ocular physiologist and creative arts philanthropist Laszlo Bito passed away from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, a condition that stemmed from his time as a forced laborer in a Hungarian coal mine, according to The New York Times.

Bito was born in 1934 in Budapest, and in 1951, he and his family were deported from the city by the Hungarian communist regime, according to his website’s biographical timeline. He ended up in the city of Komlo where we was forced to work in the coal mines. He became a local leader in a revolt against such forced labor, but when the revolution failed, he escaped to Austria. He was granted asylum in the United States in 1956. There, Bito earned a degree in chemistry from Bard College in New York. He went on to earn his PhD in medical cell biology and biophysics from Columbia University in 1963, ...

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    Chloe Tenn

    Chloe Tenn is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she studied neurobiology, English, and forensic science. Fascinated by the intersection of science and society, she has written for organizations such as NC Sea Grant and the Smithsonian. Chloe also works as a freelancer with AZoNetwork, where she ghostwrites content for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food, energy, and environmental companies. She recently completed her MSc Science Communication from the University of Manchester, where she researched how online communication impacts disease stigma. You can check out more of her work here.

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