Contents
Severo Ochoa
Discovering an enzyme that enabled laboratory synthesis of RNA.
Polynucleotide phosphorylase · Nobel Prize
- Born
- 24 September 1905
- Birthplace
- Luarca, Spain
- Died
- 1 November 1993
More people
Severo Ochoa
Severo Ochoa was a Spanish-born biochemist whose research explored enzymes, metabolism and nucleic acids. He shared the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Arthur Kornberg.
Early life
Early inspiration
The writings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal helped spark his interest in biology.
Medical studies
Qualified in medicine at the University of Madrid in 1929.
Career
- 1931
Madrid
Became a lecturer in physiology.
- 1930s
European laboratories
Worked in Heidelberg, London and Oxford on enzymes and metabolism.
- 1942
New York
Joined New York University, later leading its biochemistry department.
Contributions
Polynucleotide phosphorylase
Work with Marianne Grunberg-Manago identified an enzyme that could assemble RNA in vitro.
Nobel Prize
Shared the medicine prize for work on nucleic-acid synthesis.
Genetic code research
Used synthetic RNA to investigate how nucleotide sequences specify proteins.
Beyond the lab
Family
Married Carmen García Cobián in 1931.
Migration
Became an American citizen in 1956 after years of research abroad.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Nobel biography ↗Photo: Irwin Gooen (NY University). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
