Edelman, Gerald Maurice (1929-…), an American physiologist, shared the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1972 with physiologist Rodney Porter of the United Kingdom. Between them, they discovered the basic chemical structure of antibodies. Antibodies play a vital part in the body’s defense against disease (see Immune system ).
Edelman analyzed the structure of an antibody and showed how it binds to a pathogen (disease-causing microorganism). From an understanding of the structure, it was possible to identify different types of antibodies and how they function. Edelman’s work enabled major advances to be made in immunological research, which produced important practical developments in diagnosis and treatment.
Edelman was born in New York City. In 1954, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1960 from the Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) in New York City. From 1957 to 1992, he was a graduate fellow, assistant dean of graduate studies, and professor at Rockefeller University. In 1992, he became chairman of the department of neurobiology at the Scripps Research Institute at La Jolla, San Diego, California.
