Harvey A. Itano
| Harvey Akio Itano | |
|---|---|
Itano in 1942
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| Born | November 3, 1920 |
| Died | May 8, 2010 (aged 89) La Jolla, California |
| Citizenship | United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Alma mater | St. Louis University |
| Notable awards |
Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (1954) Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Achievement Award |
Harvey Akio Itano (November 3, 1920 – May 8, 2010) was an American biochemist best known for his work on the molecular basis of sickle cell anemia and other diseases. In collaboration with Linus Pauling, Itano used electrophoresis to demonstrate the difference between normal hemoglobin and sickle cell hemoglobin; their 1949 paper "Sickle Cell Anemia, a Molecular Disease" (coauthored also with S. J. Singer and Ibert C. Wells) was a landmark in both molecular medicine and protein electrophoresis.
In 1979, Itano became the first Japanese American elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (in the Genetics section). Itano was an emeritus professor of pathology at the University of California, San Diego. Itano died in La Jolla, California of complications from Parkinson's disease.
Itano was born in Sacramento, California. Itano attended the University of California at Berkeley where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1942. However, Itano missed commencement in Berkeley because he and his family were sent to the Tanforan Assembly center, prior to being sent to the Tule Lake internment camp. Itano was later allowed to leave camp to attend the St. Louis University medical school, earning his M.D. in 1945. He then went to graduate school at the California Institute of Technology, where he received doctorates in chemistry and physics in 1950.
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