Daniel Nathans

@Scientists, Family and Family ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Daniel Nathans was an American microbiologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1978 Delaware American University Of Delaware Scientists Biologists Microbiologists Scorpio Celebrities Daniel Nathans was an American microbiologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1978 along with Hamilton Othanel Smith of the United States and Werner Arber of Switzerland. They were awarded the prize for the discovery of ‘restriction enzymes’ which can be used to break the molecules of DNA into small manageable portions so that the characteristics can be studied better. This discovery later became the basic tool for research in genetics. Smith had isolated the bacterium called ‘Haemophilus influenzae’ earlier which was used by Nathans in the investigations he carried out in relation to the structure of the DNA of the ‘simian virus 40’ or ‘SV40’. This virus was the simplest one known for causing cancerous tumors. Nathans constructed a genetic map of the virus which helped in identifying the molecular structure of a cancer cell with the help of the ‘restriction enzymes’. He also took part in developing prenatal procedures for testing genetic diseases such as ‘sickle cell anemia’ and ‘cystic fibrosis’. He received many awards and honors for his work and was known as an outstanding mentor, teacher and researcher. He was also an able administrator and could execute his administrative work in a fair, thoughtful, deliberate and clear-headed manner.

Personal Details

Birthday: October 30, 1928 Died on: November 16, 1999 Nationality: American Famous: University Of Delaware, Scientists, Biologists, Microbiologists City/State: Delaware Spouses: Joanne Gomberg Universities: University Of Delaware Information Detail Birthday October 30, 1928 Died on November 16, 1999 Nationality American Famous University Of Delaware, Scientists, Biologists, Microbiologists City/State Delaware Spouses Joanne Gomberg Universities University Of Delaware Notable Alumnis University Of Delaware Birth Place Wilmington, Delaware, US Gender Male Father Samuel Nathans Mother Sarah (Levitan) Sun Sign Scorpio Born in Wilmington, Delaware, US Famous as Microbiologist Died at Age 71

Wilmington, Delaware, US

Daniel Nathans born at Unsplash Birth Place

He was married to Joanne Gomberg, a lawyer, whom he had met in Bethesda. They had three sons from the marriage named Eli, Ben and Jeremy. Unsplash Personal Life

Daniel Nathans died of leukemia on November 16, 1999 in Baltimore. Unsplash Personal Life

Daniel Nathans was born on October 30, 1928 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. His father was Samuel Nathans and his mother was Sarah Levitan, both Jewish immigrants from Russia. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He was the youngest of the eight children of Samuel and Sarah Nathans. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He did his schooling from the public schools in Wilmington and had to do part-time jobs from the age of ten to support his family. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After finishing school he attended the ‘University of Delaware’ to study philosophy, chemistry and literature. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

At his father’s insistence he decided on a medical career after he received his B.Sc. degree in chemistry from the ‘University of Delaware’ in 1950. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Daniel Nathans joined the ‘Columbia Presbyterian Hospital’ and worked as an intern for some time under the supervision of Robert Loeb. Unsplash Career

Before the start of his medical residency period, he joined the ‘National Cancer Institute’ under the ‘National Institutes of Health’ in Bethesda, Maryland as a clinical associate. While working there, he divided his time treating patients who were receiving experimental chemotherapy for cancer and on research related to ‘plasma-cell tumors’ found in mice which were similar to ‘multiple myeloma’ found in humans. Unsplash Career

Surprised at the lack of information on cancer biology, he started his research on the synthesis of proteins in ‘myeloma tumors’ and was soon able to publish his findings. Unsplash Career

He returned to the ‘Columbia Presbyterian Hospital’ in 1957 to complete a two year medical residency and to carry on with his ambition of following a career in academic medicine. Unsplash Career

He continuing with his research on the problem of protein synthesis whenever he had spare time after treating patients. Unsplash Career

Daniel Nathans published 138 books, articles and chapters during his entire career. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	October 30, 1928
Died on	November 16, 1999
Nationality	American
Famous	University Of Delaware, Scientists, Biologists, Microbiologists
City/State	Delaware
Spouses	Joanne Gomberg
Universities	University Of Delaware
Notable Alumnis	University Of Delaware
Birth Place	Wilmington, Delaware, US
Gender	Male
Father	Samuel Nathans
Mother	Sarah (Levitan)
Sun Sign	Scorpio
Born in	Wilmington, Delaware, US
Famous as	Microbiologist
Died at Age	71

Daniel Nathans

American

Oct 30, 1928

Biography

Personal Details

Wilmington, Delaware, US