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Teruko Ishizaka, an immunologist who worked with her husband to study asthma, hay fever, and other allergies, died June 4, according to San Diego’s La Jolla Institute for Immunology. She was 92.
Together, Ishizaka and her late husband, Kimishige Ishizaka, discovered a new class of antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) that spur allergic reactions. The duo then discovered that the antibodies attach to white blood cells called mast cells, which then release histamine, a nitrogenous compound that causes the allergic reaction. The couple joined the institute La Jolla Institute for Immunology in 1989.
“Terry, as we called her, not only distinguished herself scientifically but set a shining example in inspiring young scientists to work in a truly collaborative spirit,” Amnon Altman, who heads the institute’s cell biology department, says in a statement. “That talent, deeply rooted in the Japanese culture, continues to serve this institute ...
