Courtesy of Library of Congress

Konrad Bloch 1912-2000

In 1964, biochemist Konrad Bloch won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries involving the mechanism and regulation of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism. Bloch's investigation of the way animal cells produce cholesterol helped lay the groundwork for the treatment of several common diseases. Bloch fled Nazi Germany in 1936 and immigrated to the United States. He joined Harvard University as Higgins Professor of Biochemistry in 1954, a position he held until his retirement in 1982. He also served as professor of science in Harvard's School of Public Health from 1979 until 1984.