Background
Spiegelman was born and educated in New York City, and earned a bachelor"s degree in mathematics from the City College of New York in 1939.
Spiegelman was born and educated in New York City, and earned a bachelor"s degree in mathematics from the City College of New York in 1939.
Bachelor of Science, College City New York, 1939. Postgraduate, Columbia, 1940-1942. Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University, Saint Louis, 1944.
Honorary Doctor of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1966, Northwestern University, 1966, Saint Saint Louis University, 1968, University of Chicago, 1970, University of Illinois, 1975, New York Medical College, 1975, City Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, 1976.
Doctor of Laws, University Glasgow, 1973. Doctorate. Philosophy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1975.
Doctor of Philosophy (honorary), Weizmann Institute Science, 1979. Lecturer physics Washington University, 1942-1944, lecturer applied mathematics, 1943-1944.
Instructor bacteriology Washington University (School Medicine), 1945-1946, assistant professor bacteriology, 1946-1948.
United States Public Health Service special fellow University of Minnesota, 1948-1949. Professor microbiology University of Illinois, Urbana, 1949-1969. Member University of Illinois (Center Advanced Study), 1964-1969.
Director Institute Cancer Research, professor human genetics and development College Physicians and Surgical, Columbia, 1969-1983, University professor, 1975, University lecturer, 1974.
Director College Physicians and Surgical, Columbia (Comprehensive Cancer Center), 1980-1983. Member National Cancer Advisory Board, 1972-1983.
Marrs McLean lecturer Baylor College Medicine, 1974. South. Steven Brodie Memorial lecturer Jewish Memorial Hospital, New York City, 1974.
He developed the technique of nucleic acid hybridization, which helped to lay the groundwork for advances in recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid technology. He began his graduate studies at Columbia University in 1940, looking into cellular physiology. After a year as a United States. Public Health Service Fellow at the University of Minnesota, he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois and later became a professor of microbiology where he stayed for 20 years.
In 1962, he improved a technique that allowed the detection of specific Ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid molecules in cells.
Called nucleic acid hybridization originally developed by Rich and Davies in 1956, it was the combination of viral deoxyribonucleic acid and viral Ribonucleic acid which helped to lay the groundwork for advances in recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid technology. In 1969 he became a professor of human genetics and development at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as director of the Institute of Cancer Research in 1969.
In 1975, he was named University Professor. He investigated how cells form enzymes, deoxyribonucleic acid and Ribonucleic acid structures, virology and the molecular basis of cancer.
He is credited with an experiment with self reproducing Ribonucleic acid structures called Spiegelman"s Monster.
In 1981 he received the Antonio Feltrinelli International prize in Biology for his contributions to molecular biology. He published more than 350 papers. Spiegelman worked on trying to establish that retroviruses cause human cancers.
However, there were flaws in the theory.
Spiegelman died in 1983 of pancreatic cancer just before the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome was identified as a human retrovirus.
Fellow American Academy Arts and Sciences. Member National Academy Sciences, American Society Biological Chemists, American Society for Microbiology, New York Academy Sciences (life), Society for General Microbiology (British), Society General Physiologists, International Association for Promotion Clinical and Experimental.
Married Helen Wahala. Children: Willard, George, Marjorie.