Max Perutz

Max Ferdinand Perutz, OM (May 19 1914 – February 6 2002) was an Austrian-British molecular biologist.

Related Topics:
OM - May 19 - 1914 - February 6 - 2002 - Austria - British - Molecular biologist

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He was born in Vienna in 1914. In 1936 he became a research student at the Cavendish Laboratory in a crystallography group directed by J. Bernal, and remained in Cambridge subsequently.

Related Topics:
Vienna - 1936 - Cavendish Laboratory - Crystallography - J. Bernal

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During World War II, he was asked to think of a way to improve the structural qualities of ice for Project Habbakuk and invented the mixture of ice and woodpulp known as pykrete.

Related Topics:
World War II - Project Habbakuk - Pykrete

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In 1953 Perutz showed that the diffracted rays from protein crystals could be phased by comparing the patterns from crystals of the protein with and without heavy atoms attached. In 1959 he determined the molecular structure of the protein hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood, using this method. In 1962 he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, with John Kendrew.

Related Topics:
1953 - Protein - 1959 - Hemoglobin - Oxygen - 1962 - Nobel Prize for Chemistry - John Kendrew

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He established the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England in 1962 and was chairman until 1979. He remained active in research to the end of his life.

Related Topics:
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology - Cambridge, England - 1979

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His son Robin Perutz is a professor of chemistry at the University of York in England.

Related Topics:
University of York - England

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The Campus Vienna Biocenter is one of the largest R&D clusters in Austria with approx. 1,000 scientists from 40 nations at 16 organisations. Academic departments (University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, subsumed in the Max F. Perutz Laboratories), private research institutes (IMP -Institute of Molecular Pathology) and institutes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology and GMI - Gregor Mendel-Institute) are also located here along with commercial R&D companies, service companies and training course centres.

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http://www.viennabiocenter.com/

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http://www.mfpl.ac.at

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