Philip L. Townes
| Dr. Philip L. Townes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 18, 1927 Salem, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 1, 2017 (aged 90) Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University, 1948 (AB), University of Rochester, 1952 (PhD), 1959 (MD) |
| Occupation | Physician (pediatrics), human geneticist, embryologist, developmental biologist |
| Years active | 1952 - 1995 |
| Known for |
Differential adhesion hypothesis, Townes-Brocks syndrome, Trypsinogen deficiency disease |
| Notable work |
Directed movements and selective adhesion of embryonic amphibian cells. (1955). J. Exp. Zool. Hereditary syndrome of imperforate anus with hand, foot, and ear anomalies. (1972). J. Pediatr Trypsinogen deficiency disease. (1965). J. Pediatr. |
| Spouse(s) | Marjorie G. Townes |
Directed movements and selective adhesion of embryonic amphibian cells. (1955). J. Exp. Zool.
Hereditary syndrome of imperforate anus with hand, foot, and ear anomalies. (1972). J. Pediatr
Philip Leonard Townes (February 18, 1927 – April 1, 2017) was an American physician, human geneticist, embryologist and developmental biologist who identified Townes-Brocks syndrome (along with Eric Brocks) in 1972 while a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester.
As a graduate student, his pioneering work with Johannes Holtfreter served as the basis for the differential adhesion hypothesis that explains cellular moment and differentiation during morphogenesis.
In 1965, he described the first patient with isolated pancreatic trypsinogen deficiency, an inborn error of metabolism, that became known as trypsinogen deficiency disease.
Philip Leonard 'Len' Townes was born February 18, 1927 in Salem, Massachusetts to Saul and Lillian (Kravetsky) Townes. He graduated from Salem High School and attended Harvard University before enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. After an honorable discharge at the end of the War, he completed his studies at Harvard, earning an AB in 1948. He went on to the University of Rochester, earning a PhD in 1952 under the mentorship of Johannes Holtfreter, and earning an MD in 1959. He completed his residency training in pediatrics at the University of Rochester in 1964 and served as Chief Resident in 1965.
As a graduate student working in the laboratory of Johannes Holtfreter, Townes pioneered a technique for studying the kinetic and morphogenetic phenomena, subsequent to the combination of two or more well defined cell types, that revolutionized the understanding of morphogenesis, and serves as the basis for the differential adhesion hypothesis. With this technique, areas of embryonic tissue (mostly cell layers from amphibian neurulae) were teased from the embryos with glass needles. Once separated they could be recombined with one another. This demonstrated that in the process of sorting out, the different cell types exhibited a cell-specific tendency to arrange themselves in a definite tissue pattern that corresponded to that in normal development. The work was published as Townes' thesis in the classic paper in embryology and developmental biology, 'Directed movements and selective adhesion of embryonic amphibian cells' in 1955 in the J. Exp. Zool. 128:53-120.
...
Wikipedia