ARTHUR BECK PARDEE

1921 - 2019

PARDEE, Arthur Beck Renowned cancer biologist who shaped current understanding of molecular biology and cell growth Born July 13, 1921 in Chicago, Illinois, a world-renowned cancer biologist whose research changed our understanding of molecular biology and cell growth, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at age 97. Dr. Pardee received his undergraduate B.S. from University of California, Berkeley, in 1942, and his PhD in 1947, from California Institute of Technology, where he worked with Linus Pauling and performed early studies using purified antibodies. He went on to serve on the faculties of Berkeley (1947-61), Princeton University (1961-1975), where he was chair of the Biochemical Sciences Department, and Harvard Medical School (1975-1992), where he was a Professor, and then Professor Emeritus of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and a researcher at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (1975-2019), where he remained until his death. A prolific investigator, Pardee made several groundbreaking discoveries in the mid-20th century that shaped modern molecular biology, including the first report of ribosomes in bacteria in 1952, demonstrating the presence of what became known as messenger RNA in 1954, and elucidating the mechanism of enzyme regulation by feedback inhibition in 1956 with Richard Yates. Perhaps his most famous experiment was the PaJaMo experiment (1959) in which, during a sabbatical year at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, he was one of the three scientists (Pardee/Jacob/Monod) who demonstrated genetic regulation of gene expression. In 1973, he discovered the restriction point in the cell cycle, during which cells become committed to cell growth, a crucial point in cancer physiology. In 1992, he and his then postdoctoral student, Peng Liang, co-invented the differential display method to detect and quantify changes in gene expression across cells. Beloved by his graduate students and fellow scientists, Dr. Pardee committed his life to the study of cancer, and worked tirelessly searching for a cure. His work has been widely recognized. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He has served as president of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the American Association for Cancer Research. He received numerous distinguished awards for his path-breaking research including the American Chemical Society Paul Lewis Award (1960), the Federation of European Biochemical Societies Krebs Medal (1973), Rosenstiel Medal (1975), and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 3M Award (1980), Boehringer Mannheim Award (1998), and Distinguished Alumni Award, California Institute of Technology (1999). Dr. Pardee is survived by his wife, Ann B. Goodman, and his three sons, Michael Arthur Pardee, Richard Emil Pardee, and Thomas William Pardee, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his late wife, Ruth Sager, his former wife, Marjorie Maxstadt Pardee, his daughter Elizabeth Diane Pardee, and his son Donald Laurence Pardee. At the request of the family, burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at danafarber.org

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