Baruj Benacerraf was a
Venezuelan-born American immunologist who was one of the co-recipients
of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His most significant
contribution is the identification of gene groups called ‘major
histocompatibility complexes’ and understanding their capacity to
control immune responses. Though born into a family with a business
background, he was interested in pursuing science and graduated with a
Bachelors degree in Science from Columbia University and a Doctor of
Medicine degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He served in the
US Army for a year after which he began his career as a researcher. As a
researcher, he had the opportunity to work on various areas like
structure of antibodies, tumor specific immunity, immunochemistry,
immune complex diseases and so on. He worked in collaboration with
renowned scientists like William Paul, Victor Nussenzweig, Gerald
Edelman and Zoltan Ovary among many others. He was jointly awarded the
1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with immunologist Jean
Dausset and geneticist George D. Snell.
Childhood & Early Life
- Baruj Benacerraf was born on 29 October 1920, at Caracas, Venezuela. His father was a business man from Spanish Morocco and mother was from French Algeria. His brother, Paul Joseph Salomon Benacerraf, grew up to become a renowned philosopher.
- In 1925, he along with his family shifted to Paris from Venezuela. He completed his primary and secondary school education in French.
- With the onset of World War II, in 1939, he and his family shifted back to Venezuela. In 1940, he moved to New York, USA to pursue higher studies.
- He enrolled at the Columbia University in the School of General Studies and graduated with Bachelors degree in Science in 1942. Later he successfully completed his degree in Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Virginia.Major Works
- Baruj Benacerraf was an immunologist who researched on the working of the human immune system. His most noted work was the discovery of genes that control immune responses and the part played by genes in autoimmune diseases.
Awards & Achievements- He was the recipient of the Rabbi Shai Shacknai Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research presented by Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1974.
- In 1976, he was awarded the T. Duckett Jones Memorial Award by Helen Hay Whitney Foundation.
- Baruj Benacerraf jointly won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jean Dausset and George Davis Snell. The trio won the award "for their discoveries concerning genetically determined structures on the cell surface that regulate immunological reactions".
- In 1990 he was awarded the National Medal of Science.
- The Gold-Headed Cane Award of the American Society of Investigative Pathology was received by him in 1996. The same year he won the Charles A. Dana Award.
- He received the 2001 AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award.
- He was the elected member of professional societies like American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Institute of Medicine and The National Academy of Sciences.
Personal Life & Legacy - Baruj Benacerraf married Annette Dreyfus in 1943 and the couple had a daughter named Beryl Rica Benacerraf. His wife, Annette, died in June 2011.
- He died of pneumonia on 2 August 2011, at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at the age of 90.
