Vincent du Vigneaud

@Scientists, Timeline and Personal Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Vincent du Vigneaud was an American biochemist who was awarded ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1955 American University Of Illinois Scientists Biochemists Taurus Celebrities Vincent du Vigneaud was an American biochemist who was awarded ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1955 for isolating and synthesizing two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, both of which are classically considered to be associated with the posterior pituitary. While the former acts as a prime agent in effecting uterine contractions and lactation, the latter arouses blood pressure by contraction of arterioles and also stimulates water retention. The chemical structure of the two hormones were also analysed by him and his team. He was the first in the field to synthesize a protein hormone that is oxytocin. He also achieved path-breaking success by synthesizing penicillin. His other scientific endeavours included identifying the chemical structure of the peptide hormone insulin and the sulfur-bearing biotin. Throughout his career he held several significant positions. He remained Head of the Biochemistry Department of the George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. He served the Cornell University Medical College, New York City for almost three decades and held positions of Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry. He also served ‘Cornell University’ in Ithaca, New York as a Professor of Chemistry. Apart from the ‘Nobel Prize’ he received several other awards and medals including ‘Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research’ from the ‘American Public Health Association’ in 1948 and the ‘Passano Award’ from the ‘Passano Foundation’ in 1955.

Personal Details

Birthday: May 18, 1901 Died on: December 11, 1978 Nationality: American Famous: University Of Illinois, Scientists, Biochemists Spouses: Zella Zon Childrens: Jr., Marilyn Renee Brown, Vincent Universities: University Of Illinois University of Rochester Information Detail Birthday May 18, 1901 Died on December 11, 1978 Nationality American Famous University Of Illinois, Scientists, Biochemists Spouses Zella Zon Childrens Jr., Marilyn Renee Brown, Vincent Universities University Of Illinois University of Rochester Notable Alumnis University Of Illinois Birth Place Chicago, Illinois, USA Gender Male Father Alfred J. du Vigneaud Mother Mary Theresa Sun Sign Taurus Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA Famous as Biochemist Died at Age 77

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Vincent du Vigneaud born at Unsplash Birth Place

On June 12, 1924, he married Zella Zon Ford, a chemistry teacher. Unsplash Personal Life

Their son Vincent, Jr. was born in 1933 and daughter Marilyn Renee Brown was born in 1935. Both their children went on to become physicians. Unsplash Personal Life

He suffered a stroke in 1974 that ended his academic career. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on May 18, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois, to Alfred J. du Vigneaud and his wife, Mary Theresa. His father was an inventor and a machine designer. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1918 he completed his high school education from ‘Carl Schurz High School’ in Chicago, Illinois. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He studied at the ‘University of Illinois’ under the guidance of Professor C.S. Marvel and completed his BS in Chemistry in 1923 followed by MS in Chemistry in 1924. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Sometime during 1924 to 1925 he remained a scholar at the ‘University of Pennsylvania’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1925, Vigneaud enrolled at the ‘University of Rochester’ to pursue his postgraduate doctorate studies and began his work under the guidance of Professor John R. Murlin. He earned his Ph.D in Biochemistry in 1927 submitting his thesis titled ‘The Sulfur in Insulin’ that showed cystine as the source of disulfide in the peptide hormone insulin. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He returned to Illinois in 1929 and joined the ‘University of Illinois’ at Urbana-Champaign as a teacher of Physiological Chemistry, a position he held till 1932. While serving at the University, in 1930 he joined the professional fraternity ‘Alpha Chi Sigma’ (ΑΧΣ), which specializes in the field of chemistry. Unsplash Career

Thereafter he served the ‘George Washington University Medical School’ from 1932 to 1938 as a Professor of Biochemistry as well as the Chairman of the department. Unsplash Career

He then moved to New York City where he was appointed by ‘Cornell University Medical College’ as Professor and Head of the Biochemistry Department in 1938. He served the university for almost three decades until 1967. Unsplash Career

It is in the ‘Cornell University Medical College’ that he conducted many of his important research works, mostly focussing on the sulphur-containing compounds of biochemical significance, including his ‘Nobel Prize winning research on oxytocin and vasopressin. He also earned reputation for his work on biotin, insulin, penicillin and transmethylation. Unsplash Career

Sometime in the late 1930s, the chemical structure of the peptide hormone insulin was ascertained by him along with his team at Cornell. Unsplash Career

He was the recipient of the ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1955. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	May 18, 1901
Died on	December 11, 1978
Nationality	American
Famous	University Of Illinois, Scientists, Biochemists
Spouses	Zella Zon
Childrens	Jr., Marilyn Renee Brown, Vincent
Universities	University Of Illinois University of Rochester
Notable Alumnis	University Of Illinois
Birth Place	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gender	Male
Father	Alfred J. du Vigneaud
Mother	Mary Theresa
Sun Sign	Taurus
Born in	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Famous as	Biochemist
Died at Age	77

Vincent du Vigneaud

American

May 18, 1901

Biography

Personal Details

Chicago, Illinois, USA