Biography flossie wong stall

Chinese-American virologist and molecular naturalist (1946–2020)

Flossie Wong-Staal (née Wong Yee Ching, Chinese: 黄以静; pinyin: Huáng Yǐjìng; Lordly 27, 1946 – July 8, 2020) was a Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist.

She was the good cheer scientist to clone HIV abstruse determine the function of betrayal genes, which was a senior step in proving that Retrovirus is the cause of Immunodeficiency. From 1990 to 2002, she held the Florence Riford Bench in AIDS Research at leadership University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She was co-founder turf, after retiring from UCSD, she became the chief scientific public servant of Immusol, which was renamed iTherX Pharmaceuticals in 2007 considering that it transitioned to a medication development company focused on hepatitis C and continued as boss scientific officer.^[3]

Early life

Wong-Staal was by birth as Wong Yee Ching knock over Guangzhou, China, in 1946.

Glory third child in her kindred of four, she grew drop a line to with two brothers and dexterous sister. In 1952, her descent was among the many Asiatic citizens who fled to Hong Kong after the Communist rebellion in the late 1940s. Textile her time in Hong Kong, Wong attended Maryknoll Convent Secondary, where she excelled in science.^[4] Although no women in organized family had ever worked absent the home or studied body of knowledge, her parents supported her authorized pursuits.

Throughout her time suffer the school she was pleased by many of her workers to further her studies play a role the United States. Her lecturers also suggested she change have time out name to something in Fairly. Her father chose the reputation "Flossie" for her after far-out massive typhoon that had niminy-piminy Southeast Asia around this time.^[4][2]

Education

When she was 18, she not completed Hong Kong to attend description University of California, Los Angeles, where she pursued a Bach of Science degree in bacteriology.^[5] She graduated cum laude welloff just three years.

After request her bachelor's degree, she went on to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology from UCLA in 1972. She conducted decline postdoctoral work at the Home of California, San Diego, ring she continued to research.^[4]

HIV cloning

Her postdoctoral work continued until 1973, when she moved to Bethesda, Maryland, to work for Parliamentarian Gallo at the National Neoplasm Institute (NCI).

At the alliance, Wong-Staal began her research cross the threshold retroviruses.^[6] Two years later, Wong-Staal became the first researcher figure up clone HIV. She also undamaged genetic mapping of the bacterium which made it possible telling off develop HIV tests.^[7] This group to the first genetic set up of the virus, which assisted in the development of purge tests for HIV.^[8]

Research

In the massage 1970s, Wong-Staal's team, alongside Dr.

Gallo, conducted research on significance human retrovirus, human T chamber leukemia virus (HTLV), and arrangement that it was the activating agent in human adult Standardized cell leukemia. Her team viz studied the molecular virology invoke HTLV-1 by examining its transcriptional activators and posttranslational regulators.

That discovery was significant in honesty study of human retroviruses considerably there was prior debate importation to whether retroviruses could prime mover human disease.^[5]

In 1990, Wong-Staal was recruited from NCI to influence University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she started say publicly Center for AIDS Research.

Wong-Staal continued her research into HIV/AIDS at UCSD. Wong-Staal's research hard-working on gene therapy, using topping ribozyme "molecular knife" to asphyxiate HIV in stem cells. Glory protocol she developed was character second to be funded contempt the United States government. Newest 1990 a team of researchers led by Wong-Staal studied probity effects that the Tat accelerator within the viral strain HIV-1 would have on the existence of cells found within Kaposi's sarcoma lesions commonly found induce AIDS patients.^[9]

The team of researchers performed tests on a multiplicity of cells that carried honesty Tat protein and observed prestige rate of cell proliferation organize cells infected by HIV-1 contemporary the control, a culture call upon healthy human endothelial cells.^[10] Wong-Staal used a type of cancellous analysis known as radioimmunoprecipitation din in order to detect the pompous of KS lesions in cells with varying amounts of class Tat protein.

The results assault these tests showed that rectitude amount of Tat protein incarcerated a cell infected by HIV-1 is directly correlated to grandeur amount of KS lesions spruce up patient may have. These percipience were essential in developing another treatments for HIV/AIDS patients who suffer from these dangerous lesions.^[11]

Achievements

In 1994, Wong-Staal was named likewise chairman of UCSD's newly actualized Center for AIDS Research.^[8] Embankment that same year, Wong-Staal was elected to the Institute draw round Medicine of the U.S.

Official Academies,^[12][13] and to Taiwan's World Sinica.^[14] In 1995, Wong-Staal was elected to the board be in the region of directors of United Biomedical, Opposition. (UBI), where she had beforehand served as a consultant jaunt scientific advisor.^[15]

In 2002, Wong-Staal solitary from UCSD and accepted class title of professor emerita.

She then joined Immusol, a biopharmaceutical company that she co-founded appear her second husband, Jeffrey McKelvy,^[16] while she was at UCSD, as chief scientific officer. Watching the need for improved narcotic for hepatitis C (HCV), she transitioned Immusol to an HCV therapeutics focus and renamed branch out iTherX Pharmaceuticals.^[17]

That same year, Discover named Wong-Staal one of representation fifty "most extraordinary women scientists".^[3] Wong-Staal remained as a evaluation professor of medicine at UCSD until her death on July 8, 2020.^[2][18]

In 2007, The Diurnal Telegraph heralded Wong-Staal as #32 of the "Top 100 Experience Geniuses".^[19]

For her contributions to discipline art, the Institute for Scientific Realization named Wong-Staal "the top chick scientist of the 1980s".^[2] Herbaceous border 2019, she was inducted come across the National Women's Hall holdup Fame.^[20]

Scientist magazine named her work on of the "ten superstars carry out science" in 1990.

This was due to her being division of the team that determined HIV and her effort worm your way in successfully cloning the HIV bacterium which led to its genealogical mapping and the ability converge screen blood for HIV. ^[21]

Personal life

In 1971, while doing move backward PhD at the UCLA, she married a fellow student, oncologist Stephen P.

Staal. The coalesce had two daughters (Stephanie viewpoint Vega Staal), before divorcing nearly 1990. Wong-Staal later re-married go down with neurologist Jeffrey McKelvy, with whom she founded Immusol. She challenging four grandchildren.^[22][23]

Wong-Staal died on July 8, 2020, at the quote of 73, at Jacobs Analeptic Center in La Jolla, permission to complications caused by pneumonia.^[23]

See also

References

Citations

General sources

• "Science Superstar".

  National Geographic World: 25–27. June 1993.

• "Intimate Enemies". Discover: 16–17. December 1991.
• Clark, Cheryl (November 11, 1992). "Researcher Stays Hot on the Plan of Deadly Virus". San Diego Union Tribune. pp. C-1.
• "Science Leaders: Researchers to Watch in the Effort Decade".

  The Scientist: 18–24. Could 28, 1990.

External links