Gerty Cori
| Gerty Therese Cori | |
|---|---|
 Gerty Therese Cori, 1947
|
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| Born | 15 August, 1896 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Died | 26 October, 1957 St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Citizenship | American (1928-death) |
| Nationality | Czechoslovak |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | Washington University, St.Louis |
| Alma mater | German University of Prague |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1947) |
Gerty Theresa Cori (née Radnitz) (August 15, 1896 – October 26, 1957) was a Czech-American biochemist who became the third woman, and first American woman, to win a Nobel Prize in science. Born in Prague in 1896 she moved to the US in 1922 with her husband, Carl Ferdinand Cori.[1] Together with they researched the way a cell is able to use glycogen for which they were given the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with Argentine physiologist Bernardo Houssay.
They discovered the mechanism by which glycogen—a derivative of glucose—is broken down in muscle tissue into lactic acid. It is then resynthesized in the body, and stored as source of energy (this is known as the Cori cycle). They also identified the important catalyzing compound, the Cori ester. In 2004, their work was designated an ACS National Historical Chemical Landmark for carbohydrate metabolism.[2]
References [change]
- ↑ "Gerty Cori– Biography". nobelprize.org. 2011. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1947/cori-gt.html. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ↑ "Carl and Gerty Cori and carbohydrate metabolism". American Chemical Society. http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/glucose/glucose.html. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
