Irwin Fridovich ( New York , 2 of August of 1929 – Carolina North , 2 of November of 2019 ) was a biochemist American who in collaboration with his graduate student, Joe McCord, discovered the activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD).
Summary
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- 1 Career path
- 2 Academic career
- 3 Main contributions
- 4 Awards and honors
- 5 Sources
Career path
Dr. Fridovich is originally from New York City and received his BA from the City College of New York. He went on to earn his Ph.D. under Phil Handler in the Department of Biochemistry at Duke University . He continued his post-doctorate with Handler, eventually joining the department as a faculty member.
Academic career
From 1951 to 1952, Fridovich served as a research associate in medicine at Cornell Medical College, held secondary positions in teaching biochemistry at Duke University (1956 to 1961), and a research associate at Harvad University (1961 to 1962). He became an assistant professor of biochemistry at Duke University in 1961 and a full-time professor of biochemistry in 1976 and served as professor emeritus.
Main contributions
Dr. Fridovich and his colleagues discovered superoxide dismutase (SOD). Much of his later work proved the implication of this discovery: that superoxide is formed in aerobic cells and, unless removed, can damage cells. These predictions were confirmed, particularly through biochemical and physiological studies of Escherichia coli. Subsequently, other workers demonstrated similar results in yeast, Caenorhabolitis elegans, Drosophila, mice, etc., so that superoxide and its partner, hydrogen peroxide, are now considered fundamental risks for all organisms that inhabit the presence of oxygen.
Awards and honors
Fridovich received numerous awards and accolades for his work including membership in the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Elliot Cresson Medal from the Franklin Institute (in Philadelphia).
According to the Google Scholar website, in 2019 Fridovich had more than 51,000 bibliographic references in the scientific literature, including 7 scientific articles with more than 1,000 references and an H-index of 97.
His discovery of the superoxide dismutase reaction begins the field of oxygen free radicals in biology and medicine.
His influence led him to become president of the American Society for Biochemists (1987-1990) and the Society for Free Radical Research (1992-1994). In 2000 he obtained the Science and Humanity award.
