Edmond Fischer Swiss American biochemist, winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Date of Birth: 06.04.1920 Country: USA

Biography of Edmond Fischer

Edmond H. Fischer was a Swiss-American biochemist and the recipient of the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born on April 6, 1920 in Shanghai, China. His paternal grandfather moved from France to Indochina and then to China, where he established a French-language newspaper called "Courrier de Chine" and a French municipal school. Fischer attended this school during his childhood before being sent to Switzerland at the age of seven.

Fischer graduated from the University of Geneva and obtained his doctorate there. His main research focused on studying and characterizing the enzyme amylase. In the early 1950s, Fischer relocated to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he is currently an honorary professor.

It was at the University of Washington that Fischer began collaborating with Edwin G. Krebs, six months after his move. Together, they investigated the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase and discovered that a series of reactions triggered by hormones and calcium led to the activation and inactivation of this enzyme. The activation and inactivation were caused by reversible phosphorylation of the enzyme. This process, which Fischer and Krebs discovered, is catalyzed by two enzymes: protein kinase and phosphatase. Protein kinases, with tyrosine kinase being the most common type, transfer a phosphate group from ATP to the hydroxyl group of the enzyme. This changes the conformation of the enzyme, making it catalytically active. Subsequently, protein phosphatase removes the phosphate group, returning the enzyme to its original inactive form. It was found that such cyclic regulation of enzymatic activity and corresponding metabolic processes is extremely widespread in nature.

In recognition of their discovery of reversible protein phosphorylation, Fischer and Krebs were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1992. Fischer's work has significantly contributed to our understanding of the biological regulation mechanism. He continues to be honored as an esteemed professor at the University of Washington.