Werner H. Kirsten
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Werner H. Kirsten (October 29, 1925 in Leipzig[1] — December 24, 1992 in Hyde Park, Chicago)[2] was a German-American pathologist and cancer researcher, known as the discoverer and namesake of a cancer-causing virus, the Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Virus,[a][3] and consequently of the KRAS oncogene.
Early life and education[edit]
Werner H. Kirsten was born in Leipzig in 1925.
He attended the Universität Frankfurt am Main, graduating summa cum laude with an MD in 1953.[4] He subsequently worked at the Senckenberg Institute of Pathology and the Paul Ehrlich Institute in Frankfurt.[4]
Career[edit]
In 1955, Kirsten moved to Chicago to pursue an internship and a residency.[5] In 1956, he joined the Pathology Department at the University of Chicago.[4] In 1960, he was granted American citizenship.[5] He became an assistant professor in 1961,[5] and — in the wake of his 1967 discovery of the sarcomavirus[5][2] — a full professor in 1968.[4] In 1972, he was promoted to head of the department of pathology.[4]
In 1986, he left the University and joined the National Cancer Institute as associate director of their facility in Frederick, Maryland.[4] In 1988, he was promoted to director,[2] a position he retained until his death.[2]
Personal life and death[edit]
Kirsten was married to Inger Nielsen, with whom he had three sons, Christian, Olaf and Thomas. He died age 67 on December 24, 1992 in Hyde Park, Chicago.[2]
Legacy[edit]
The Werner H. Kirsten Student Internship Program is a one-year internship for high school seniors in which they can immerse themselves into research and administrative management in a health care environment. [6]
Notes[edit]
- ^ also known as Kirsten Mouse Sarcoma Virus and Kirsten Murine Sarcoma Virus
References[edit]
- ^ "In memoriam Prof. Dr. Werner H. Kirsten 1925-1992; by Victor E. Gould; in Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathol (1993) 63:137-138; https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02899253
- ^ a b c d e DR. WERNER H. KIRSTEN, 67, by Kenan Heise, in the Chicago Tribune; published January 1, 1993; retrieved April 10, 2020
- ^ 30 Years Later, WHK Program Remains a Singular Opportunity, by Chris Worthington, at NCI Frederick; published July 10, 2019; retrieved April 10, 2020
- ^ a b c d e f Werner H. Kirsten, 1925-1992, by Victor E. Gould, in The American Journal of Pathology; 1993 Apr; 142(4): 963
- ^ a b c d NCI's Werner Kirsten Is Mourned, in the NIH Record; published February 2, 1993; p 8
- ^ "Werner H. Kirsten Student Internship Program Earns White House Honors". National Cancer Institute. November 3, 2022.