Michael Heidelberger

Michael Heidelberger, an award-winning pioneer in immunochemistry, died June 25 at the age of 103. At the time of his death, he was still a researcher at the New York University Medical Center. Among Heidelberger's many scientific accomplishments was the discovery that antibodies are proteins. Heidelberger was born in New York and completed his undergraduate and graduate education at Columbia University. After earning his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1911, he joined the faculty of the Rockefeller Ins


Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

Michael Heidelberger, an award-winning pioneer in immunochemistry, died June 25 at the age of 103. At the time of his death, he was still a researcher at the New York University Medical Center. Among Heidelberger's many scientific accomplishments was the discovery that antibodies are proteins.

Heidelberger was born in New York and completed his undergraduate and graduate education at Columbia University. After earning his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1911, he joined the faculty of the Rockefeller Institute. In 1928 he returned to Columbia as the first professor of immunochemistry at the university's College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he remained until he was forced to retire in the mid-1950s.

In 1955, in lieu of opting for a life of leisurely retirement, Heidelberger joined Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., as a visiting professor, a position he maintained for the next nine years. In 1964, he joined the NYU Medical Center ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide