Edmond H. Fischer
1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine
University of Washington
School of Medicine, Seattle


Edmond H. Fischer shared the 1992 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with fellow University of Washington biochemistry professor Edwin G. Krebs for "discoveries concerning reversible protein phosphorylation as a biological regulatory mechanism." They purified and characterized the first enzyme of this type in the mid-1950s, their discovery proving to be the key to unlocking how glycogen in the body breaks down into glucose to mediate muscular work and leading to techniques that prevent the body from rejecting transplanted organs.

Born in Shanghai, China, Fischer studied at the University of Geneva and earned the equivalent of a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1947. Arriving in the United States to study biochemistry, he accepted a position at the then-new medical school at the University of Washington in 1953 and within six months was working with Krebs on glycogen phosphorylase. Fischer retired from the University of Washington in 1990 and is now a professor emeritus of biochemistry. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1973 and has been recognized with several awards for his work in addition to the Nobel Prize, including the Werner Medal from the Swiss Chemical Society (1953) and the Prix Jaubert from the University of Geneva (1968).



Download Photos for News/Media: PC or Macintosh




2001 Conference | Participants | Schedule | Resources | Registration
Nobel Conference Homepage | Gustavus Homepage

©2001. All Rights Reserved. Gustavus Adolphus College.

Nobel Conference® is authorized by the Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden.
Nobel Conference is a registered trademark of Gustavus Adolphus College.