Albert Claude facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Albert Claude
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| Born | 24 August 1899 Longlier, Neufchâteau, Belgium
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| Died | 22 May 1983 (aged 83) Brussels, Belgium
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| Nationality | Belgian |
| Citizenship | Belgium and United States |
| Alma mater | University of Liège |
| Known for | Cell fractionation Electron microscopy in biology |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Gilder |
| Children | Philippa |
| Parents |
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| Awards | Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in 1970 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 1971 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cell biology |
| Institutions | Rockefeller University Institut Jules Bordet Université libre de Bruxelles Université catholique de Louvain |
| Influenced | George Palade |
Albert Claude (born August 24, 1899 – died May 22, 1983) was a Belgian-American cell biologist and medical doctor. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 with Christian de Duve and George Emil Palade.
Albert Claude started school in his hometown of Longlier. During World War I, he worked for the British Intelligence Service. He was even held in camps twice. Because of his service, he was allowed to study medicine at the University of Liège in Belgium. This was special because he didn't have the usual school qualifications. He became a doctor in 1928.
He loved medical research and first worked in Germany. In 1929, he joined the Rockefeller Institute in New York. Here, he made his most important discoveries about cells. In 1930, he created a method called cell fractionation. This helped him find parts inside cells, like mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, and lysosomes.
Albert Claude was the first person to use an electron microscope to study living things. In 1945, he showed the first detailed picture of a cell's structure. His work helped scientists understand how cells are built and how they work.
Claude also led the Jules Bordet Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment. He was a professor at the Free University of Brussels, the University of Louvain, and Rockefeller University. For his amazing work, he won several awards. These included the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in 1970 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974. He shared the Nobel Prize with his student George Emil Palade and his friend Christian de Duve.
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Early life and education
Albert Claude was born in 1899 in Longlier, a small village in Neufchâteau, Belgium. His parents were Florentin Joseph Claude and Marie-Glaudice Watriquant Claude. He was the youngest of four children. His father was a baker.
Albert started school in a small, one-room primary school in Longlier. He thought the education was "excellent." When he was seven, his mother passed away. In 1907, his family moved to Athus, a town with steel mills, because of money problems. He went to a German-speaking school there.
Later, he left school to care for his uncle, who was sick. During World War I, he worked in steel mills. He was inspired by Winston Churchill and joined the British Intelligence Service. He served throughout the war. After the war, he received a medal for his service.
He wanted to go to college, but he didn't have the usual high school diploma. Luckily, a new law allowed war veterans to go to college without exams. So, in 1922, he was accepted into the University of Liège to study medicine. He became a Doctor of Medicine in 1928.
Career and discoveries
After becoming a doctor, Albert Claude went to Berlin, Germany, for more research. He studied how mouse cancers could be moved into rats.
In 1929, he received a grant to do research in the United States. He joined the Rockefeller Institute in New York. There, he worked on finding out what caused the Rous sarcoma virus.
In 1930, he made a huge discovery: cell fractionation. This method involves gently breaking open cells. Then, he used a special machine called a centrifuge to spin the cell parts. This separated them by weight. He found that different parts of the cell were responsible for different jobs.
In 1938, he found and cleaned a part of the Rous sarcoma virus. He called it "ribose nucleoprotein," which we now know as RNA.
Albert Claude was the first scientist to use an electron microscope to look at biological cells. Before him, these microscopes were only used for physics. In 1945, he used it to study mitochondria. He found that mitochondria are like the "power houses" of cells.
He also found tiny bits in the cell's fluid that were full of RNA. He called them "microsomes," but they were later named ribosomes. Ribosomes are like tiny factories that make proteins for the cell.
With his helper, Keith Porter, he found a net-like structure inside cells. This was the discovery of the endoplasmic reticulum, which means "fishnet" in Latin. It's a major part of how cells are organized.
In 1949, he became the director of the Jules Bordet Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment. He also became a professor at the Free University of Brussels. He continued his research and teaching for many years.
Personal life
Albert Claude married Julia Gilder in 1935. They had a daughter named Philippa. Philippa grew up to become a neuroscientist.
Claude was known for being a bit unique. He was good friends with famous painters like Diego Rivera and Paul Delvaux, and musicians like Edgard Varèse.
He retired in 1971 but kept doing research at the University of Louvain. He passed away at his home in Brussels on May 22, 1983.
Awards and recognitions
- Baron Holvoet Prize from Belgium in 1965
- Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University in 1970
- Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in 1971
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 (with Palade and de Duve) for their discoveries about how cells are built and how they work.
- Medal of the Belgian Academy of Medicine
- Member of the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium
- Member of the French Academy of Sciences
- Honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Order of the Palmes Académiques of France
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Léopold II
- Honorary doctorates from several universities, including Modena, Brno, Liège, Louvain, Gent, and Rockefeller University.
See also
In Spanish: Albert Claude para niños
