Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat

Heinz Ludwig Fraenkel - Conrat ( born July 29, 1910 in Breslau, † 10 April 1999 in Oakland ) was a German -US American biochemist who became known mainly because of its virological research to tobacco mosaic virus ( TMV).

Life

Fraenkel - Conrat first studied medicine at the university of his native city, where he completed the study in 1933. Due to the rise of the National Socialists a further academic career in Germany it was not possible as he was according to the criteria of the Nazis as a Jew. He emigrated to Scotland, where he in 1936 at the University of Edinburgh the degree of " Ph.D." acquired. In 1936 he emigrated to the United States, where he was scientifically active at various institutions (including the Rockefeller Institute in New York City). Since 1952 he was a member of the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley.

His main research topic had virological issues and in particular the tobacco mosaic virus. He could disassemble and show that the virus nucleic acid alone was infectious and thus contained the genetic code of the virus in the virus ribonucleic acid ( RNA) and protein components. In 1960 he succeeded with employees the complete sequencing of the 158- amino - TMV coat protein, which was the largest protein then was known whose sequence.

For his work he received numerous awards, including the Albert Lasker Award in 1958 for Basic Medical Research. Until the ripe old age he remained scientifically active and has been assisted in this by his wife, Dr. Bea Singer, who was also a scientist in Berkeley.

Main work

1950s Wrocław April 10 Germans Biochemistry Integrated Authority File
344221
de