Background
Talalay, Paul was born on March 31, 1923 in Berlin. Arrived in the United States, 1940, naturalized, 1946. Son of Joseph Anton and Sophie (Brosterman) Talalay.
director Professor of Pharmacology
Talalay, Paul was born on March 31, 1923 in Berlin. Arrived in the United States, 1940, naturalized, 1946. Son of Joseph Anton and Sophie (Brosterman) Talalay.
Bachelor of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1944. Student, University Chicago School Medicine, 1944—1946. Doctor of Medicine, Yale University, 1948.
Doctor of Science (honorary), Acadia University, 1974.
In 1944, Talalay entered medical school at the University of Chicago and, in 1946, he transferred to Yale School of Medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine in 1948. In 1950, he returned to the University of Chicago to begin research on steroid hormones.
Between 1962 and 1974, Talalay was Director of the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
In 1974 he was appointed as John Jacob Abel Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacology. A pioneer in the field of chemoprotective research strategies, Talalay and his colleagues devised simple cell culture methods for detecting phytochemicals which appear to boost enzymes that detoxify carcinogens in the body.
This work led to the isolation of sulforaphane, found in broccoli, as a potent inducer of detoxifying phase two enzymes. These findings, published in 1992, attracted worldwide attention as a major breakthrough in understanding the potential link between cruciferous vegetable consumption and reduced cancer risk.
Talalay was awarded one of the first lifetime professorships of the American Cancer Society.
The Doctor of Medicine - Doctor of Philosophy Student Library at Johns Hopkins University is named in Talalay"s honour.
Fellow: American Academy Arts and Sciences. Member: National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science (Theobald Smith award medical science 1957), American Society Pharmaceutical and Experimental Therpeutics, American Chemical Society, Bio-chemical Society, American Society Clinical Investigation, American Society Bio-chemical Molecular Biology, American Philosophical Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa.
Married Pamela Judith Samuels, January 11, 1953. Children: Antony, Susan, Rachel, Sarah.