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| Coordinates | 6°7′55″N1°13′22″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Gerty Cori |
| Caption | Gerty Cori in 1947 |
| Birth date | August 15, 1896 |
| Birth name | Gerty Theresa Radnitz |
| Birth place | Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Death date | October 26, 1957 |
| Death cause | Myelosclerosis |
| Residence | American |
| Spouse | |
| Other names | Gerty Theresa Cori |
| Alma mater | German Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague |
| Known for | Extensive research on carbohydrate metabolism; described the Cori cycle; identified Glucose 1-phosphate |
| Awards | Many awards and recognitions, including Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1947) |
| Occupation | Biochemist |
Gerty Theresa Cori (née Radnitz, August 15, 1896 – October 26, 1957) was an American biochemist who became the third woman—and first American woman—to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Cori was born in Prague (then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now the Czech Republic). Growing up at a time when women were marginalized in science and allowed few educational opportunities, she gained admittance to medical school, where she met her future husband Carl Ferdinand Cori; upon their graduation in 1920, they married. Because of deteriorating conditions in Europe, the couple immigrated to the United States in 1922. Gerty Cori continued her early interest in medical research, collaborating in the laboratory with Carl. She published research findings coauthored with her husband, as well as publishing singly. Unlike her husband, she had difficulty securing research positions, and the ones she obtained provided meager pay. Her husband insisted on continuing their collaboration, though he was discouraged from doing so by the institutions that employed him.
With her husband Carl and Argentine physiologist Bernardo Houssay, Gerty Cori received the Nobel Prize in 1947 for the discovery of the mechanism by which glycogen—a derivative of glucose—is broken down in muscle tissue into lactic acid and then resynthesized in the body and stored as source of energy (known as the Cori cycle). They also identified the important catalyzing compound, the Cori ester. In 2004, both Gerty and Carl Cori were designated an ACS National Historical Chemical Landmark in recognition of their work in clarifying carbohydrate metabolism.
In 1957, Gerty Cori died after a ten year struggle with myelosclerosis. She remained active in the research laboratory until the end. She has received recognition for her achievements through multiple awards and honors. The crater Cori on the Moon is named after her.
In 1922, the Coris both immigrated to the United States (Gerty six months after Carl because of difficulty in obtaining a position there) to pursue medical research at the "State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases" (now the Roswell Park Cancer Institute) in Buffalo, New York. In 1928, they became naturalized citizens of the United States. |salign=right| width = 20% | align = left | style = padding:10px; }} Although the Coris were discouraged from working together at Roswell, they continued to do so, specializing in investigating carbohydrate metabolism. They were particularly interested in how glucose is metabolized in the human body and the hormones that regulate this process. The cycle describes how human body uses chemical reactions to break carbohydrates such glycogen—a derivative of glucose—in muscle tissue into lactic acid, while synthesizing others. she was warned that she might harm her husband's career.
They continued their collaboration at Washington University. Working with minced frog muscle, they discovered an intermediate compound that enabled the breakdown of glycogen, called glucose 1-phosphate, now known as the Cori ester. It can also be the last step in the conversion of blood glucose to glycogen, as it is a reversible step.
Gerty and Carl Cori collaborated on most of their work, including that which eventually led to winning the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen". They received one half the prize, the other half going to Argentine physiologist, Bernardo Houssay "for his discovery of the part played by the hormone of the anterior pituitary lobe in the metabolism of sugar". They continued through their work to clarify the mechanisms of carbohydrate metabolism, advancing the understanding of the reversible conversion of sugars and starch, findings which proved crucial in the development of treatments for diabetics.
In 1948, Cori was awarded the Garvan-Olin Medal, an award that recognizes distinguished work in chemistry by American women chemists. She was appointed by President Harry S. Truman as board member of the National Science Foundation, a position she held until her death.
Category:Austrian expatriates Category:American biochemists Category:American Jews Category:Jewish scientists Category:American people of Czech-Jewish descent Category:Czechoslovak immigrants to the United States Category:Czech Jews Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Prague Category:Charles University alumni Category:Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine Category:American Nobel laureates Category:Austrian Nobel laureates Category:People from Buffalo, New York Category:Washington University in St. Louis faculty Category:1896 births Category:1957 deaths Category:Women Nobel Laureates Category:Recipients of the Garvan–Olin Medal
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