Andrew Schally was an endocrinologist whose work studying links between hormones and the brain stem resulted in him sharing a Nobel Prize with neuroscientist Roger Guillemin and physicist Rosalyn Yalow.
- Died: October 17, 2024 (Who else died on October 17?)
- Details of death: Died in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 97.
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Andrew Schally’s legacy
Born in Wilno, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania), Schally and his family were pushed from their home when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union attacked his homeland, taking refuge in Romania. After the war, Schally pursued his early education in the U.K., studying chemistry at the University of London and doing lab work at the National Institute of Medical Research. Later, he dove into medical science as a lab technician at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and then his doctorate in endocrinology at the school.
Schally relocated to the United States after his graduation and eventually took a position leading endocrine and polypeptide laboratories at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and teaching at the Tulane University School of Medicine. In New Orleans, his groundbreaking work in the field of endocrinology took shape. Specifically, Schally focused on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain instrumental in regulating hormones through its influence on the pituitary gland. His research culminated in the isolation and identification of previously unknown ways in which the brain and hormones interact.
In 1977, Schally was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing the honor with Roger Guillemin (1926–2024), his former colleague-turned-great rival in the field, and Rosalyn Yalow (1926–2024), the second woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Their discoveries paved the way for developing treatments for various hormonal disorders.
Beyond his Nobel Prize-winning work, Schally’s research led to advancements in therapies for prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other diseases influenced by hormonal regulation. Schally’s development of analogs of LHRH has been particularly influential in oncology, aiding in hormone-dependent cancer treatment.
On his rivalry with co-Nobel Prize winner Roger Guillemin:
“It is a fruit of co-operation. Co-operation between gentlemen and intelligent people is a pleasure. What existed between me and Guillemin was a sort of cold war rather than an open hostility. The competition became eventually so intense that all co-operation was no longer possible. On the other hand, I believe that healthy competition stimulates the necessary elements to accelerate creativity.” — from “The Roots are Polish,” by Aleksandra Ziólkowska-Boehm
Tributes to Andrew Schally
Full obituary: The New York Times
