David Gelfand

1944 - 2026

David Gelfand
06/09/1944 - 02/01/2026
David Harow Gelfand, 81, of Oakland, California passed away of cancer on February 1, 2026, while in hospice care at home. His wife, Ellen Daniell, and his daughter, Duskie Lynn Gelfand Estes were by his side.
David was born June 9, 1944 in New York, New York the son of Sidney Joy Gelfand and Golda (Gigi) Levinson Gelfand, and grew up in White Plains, NY. The first of his many awards in science was a top prize in the New York State Science Fair.
Passionate about social justice from an early age, David participated in the 1964 Freedom Summer, registering formerly disenfranchised black voters in Laurel, Mississippi. He was shot at and severely beaten by members of the KKK. This did not discourage his commitment, and his involvement in the Civil Rights movement remained a source of personal satisfaction and admiration from his friends all his life. He was profoundly influenced by the people who hosted him and with whom he worked in Mississippi.
David graduated from Brandeis University in 1966, then earned a PhD in Biology (1970) from the University of California at San Diego under the mentorship of Masaki Hayashi. He joined Gordon Tompkins' laboratory at the University of California at San Francisco where he participated in the birth of recombinant DNA technology, pioneering approaches to clone genes by selecting their function.
Marking the onset of the biotechnology industry, David was hired by Cetus Corporation of Emeryville, CA in 1977 to form and lead the Department of Molecular Research, the first of its kind. David and colleagues developed and refined the Polymerase Chain Reaction (commonly referred to as PCR) a technique that was to become one of the pillars in the practice of the recombinant DNA field. PCR revolutionized basic research, clinical diagnostics, and the application of forensic DNA for criminal and human rights investigations. This widespread impact resulted from a flood of inventive refinements to produce a procedure of unprecedented sensitivity, specificity and versatility. David was a co-inventor of over 100 patents with colleagues at Cetus and Roche Molecular Systems, where he and his group moved in 1991.
Outside the lab, David enjoyed scuba diving, horseback pack trips, music ranging from classical to country, organ concerts in cathedrals and churches all over Europe, and travel in general. To colleagues and friends he is remembered as a motivator of adventures in life and science, generous with his time and enthusiastic about life.
In addition to his wife and daughter, David is survived and deeply missed by his son-in-law John Stewart, two grandchildren, Brydie Estes Stewart and Mackenzie Estes Stewart, his brothers Peter Gelfand and Sidney Gelfand and their families, his former wife Carroll Lynn Estes (mother of Duskie) and many nieces, nephews, friends and former colleagues.
Donations in David's memory may be directed to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) at https://secure.splcenter.org; to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (https://www.aaas.org) or to Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (https://iibayarea.org)