Aaron Klug
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| Aaron Klug | |
| Born | August 11, 1926 Želva, Lithuania |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields | Biophysics, chemistry |
| Known for | crystallographic electron microscopy |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1982 |
Sir Aaron Klug, OM, PRS (born 11 August 1926) is a Lithuanian-born British chemist and biophysicist, and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes.[1]
[edit] Biography
Klug was born in Želva, Lithuania to Jewish parents Lazar and Bella (née Silin) Klug with whom he moved to South Africa at the age of two. He later graduated with a degree in science at the University of Witwatersrand and studied crystallography at the University of Cape Town before moving to England, completing his doctorate at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1953.
He moved to Birkbeck College in University of London in late 1953, and started working with Rosalind Franklin in John Bernal's lab. This experience aroused a lifelong interest in the study of viruses, and during his time there he made discoveries in the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus. In 1962 he moved to the newly built MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. Over the following decade Klug used methods from X-ray diffraction, microscopy and structural modelling to develop crystallographic electron microscopy in which a sequence of two-dimensional images of crystals taken from different angles are combined to produce three-dimensional images of the target.
He was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University in 1981. Between 1986 and 1996 he was director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, and was knighted in 1988. He was elected President of the Royal Society, and served from 1995-2000. He was appointed OM in 1995 - as is customary for Presidents of the Royal Society. He is also a member of the Board of Scientific Governors at The Scripps Research Institute.
In 2005 he was awarded South Africa's Order of Mapungubwe (gold) for exceptional achievements in medical science.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (18 October 1982). The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1982. Press release. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1982/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
- ^ "National Orders awards 27 September 2005". State of South Africa. 2005-09-29. http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/orders/2005/klug.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
- Amos, Linda A; Finch, John T (2004), "Aaron Klug and the revolution in biomolecular structure determination.", Trends Cell Biol. 14 (3): 148–52, 2004 Mar, doi:, PMID:15003624, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15003624
- Shafrir, E (1994), "Aaron Klug--a pioneer of crystallographic electron microscopy.", Isr. J. Med. Sci. 30 (9): 734, 1994 Sep, PMID:8088991, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8088991
- Shampo, M A; Kyle, R A (1994), "Sir Aaron Klug--Nobel Prize winner for chemistry.", Mayo Clin. Proc. 69 (6): 556, 1994 Jun, PMID:8189761, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8189761
- Wakabayashi, K (1983), "[Accomplishment of Dr. Aaron Klug, winner of Nobel prize in chemistry, 1982]", Tanpakushitsu Kakusan Koso 28 (2): 156–7, 1983 Feb, PMID:6342048, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6342048
[edit] External links
- The People's Archive interview [1]
- Aaron Klug biography at the Nobel Foundation
- Aaron Klug interviews with Harry Kroto
- Aaron Klug article by Bob Weintraub.
- Sir Aaron Klug video at the Peoples Archive
- The Official Site of Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
- Aaron Klug interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 11th December 2007 (film)
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