Dr. Carl and Gerty Cori


Dr. Carl Cori (1896-1984) became the chairman of the Biological Chemistry Department (now known as the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Department) in 1946. His wife Dr. Gerty Cori (1896-1957) was a professor in his laboratory. They received the Nobel Prize in 1947 for their discovery of the course of catalytic conversion of glycogen. Carl Cori remained as chair of the Biochemistry department until 1966 when he retired from his position.

In 2004 the American Chemical Society (ACS) designated the Coris’ lab as a National Historical Chemical Landmark. A short description of their time at Washington University can be found here. The ACS program and more details of the Coris’ research career can be found here.

The publication of John Exton MD, PhD’s book “The Crucible of Science” in 2013 coincided with the 2013 Cori Lecture held on May 8th. Dr. Exton’s book gives further details on the Coris’ lab and the other Nobel Prize winners that came from their lab.