Albert Ernst Renold

Albert Ernst Renold (July 10, 1923 – March 21, 1988) was a Swiss physician and clinical biochemist noted for his extensive research on diabetes. In 1986 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine for contributions to the understanding of diabetes.

Early life Renold was born on July 10, 1923, in Karlsruhe, Germany, to a Swiss physician father and a German mother. He was also a descendant of the 19th-century German painter Georg Friedrich Kersting. He was raised in Switzerland, attending school in Montreux and Lausanne before completing his medical studies at the University of Zurich from 1941 to 1947. He completed his MD with a thesis on diabetes caused by alloxan.

Career After graduating from the University of Zurich, Renold was awarded a scholarship from the American-Swiss Foundation for Scientific Exchange, allowing him to move to Boston in 1948 as a research fellow at New England Deaconess Hospital, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He was appointed director of Harvard Medical School's Carbohydrate Research Laboratory in 1956 and director of New England Deaconess Hospital's Baker Clinic Research Laboratory in 1959; under his leadership the latter became internationally known for diabetes research. He also founded the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry in Geneva, where he hosted a variety of research fellows and visiting professors, largely focusing on diabetes research.

Death In his later life, Renold suffered from a recurrent neurological disease. He died unexpectedly on March 21, 1988, in a hotel in Zurich; he was traveling back to Geneva after visiting his children in Chicago.