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Albert SabinAmerican physician and virologist
Date of Birth: 26.08.1906
Country: ![]() |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Medical Career
- Research on Polio
- World War II and Vaccine Development
- Oral Polio Vaccine
- Approval and Impact
- Legacy
Early Life and Education
Albert Sabin was born in Białystok, Russia (now Poland), on August 26, 1906. In 1921, his family emigrated to the United States. Sabin earned a bachelor's degree in 1928 and a medical degree in 1931 from New York University.
Medical Career
After graduation, Sabin worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine in London. In 1935, he joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York. In 1939, he became a professor of pediatrics and head of infectious diseases at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Children's Hospital.
Research on Polio
Sabin's research primarily focused on polio. In 1931, he demonstrated the growth of poliovirus in human nerve tissue in vitro. In 1941, he showed that the virus primarily infects the digestive tract, challenging the prevailing belief that it affected primarily the respiratory system.
World War II and Vaccine Development
During World War II, Sabin served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, where he developed vaccines for dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis. After the war, he began working on a polio vaccine. Independently, Jonas Salk at the University of Pittsburgh was also working on a vaccine.
Oral Polio Vaccine
Sabin believed that a live but nonvirulent vaccine would be more effective than Salk's inactivated vaccine, which was released in 1954. Sabin's vaccine, known as the oral polio vaccine (OPV), was developed in 1956. Unlike Salk's vaccine, which was administered through injections, OPV was taken orally.
Approval and Impact
In 1957, Sabin isolated strains of all three poliovirus types and created corresponding vaccines. OPV was approved for use in the United States in 1961, after Salk's vaccine had already largely eradicated the disease. However, OPV has certain advantages, and it is now the preferred vaccine used in the United States, Russia, and other countries in Europe.
Legacy
Albert Sabin died in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1993. His tireless research and development of the oral polio vaccine have had a profound impact on global health, significantly reducing the prevalence of polio and its devastating effects.