Bertram Fraser-Reid

Bertram Oliver "Bert" Fraser-Reid (23 February 1934 – 25 May 2020) was a Jamaican synthetic organic chemist who has been widely recognised for his work using carbohydrates as starting materials for chiral materials and on the role of oligosaccharides in immune response. He developed the “armed-disarmed” principle.

Early life Fraser-Reid was born in Coleyville, Jamaica to William, an elementary school principal, and Laura, a teacher. He had five older siblings. He went to University of Alberta

Academic career From 1966 to 1980 Fraser-Reid was on the faculty of the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario The primary emphasis of his work at this point was the synthesis of chiral natural products using carbohydrates as the starting materials. In 1975, Fraser-Reid was the first to publish a method for making nonsugar compounds with simple sugars. At Duke University, his research shifted to exploring the role of oligosaccharides in immune responses, and particularly on the effect of molecules on human diseases like malaria and AIDS. After retiring from Duke in 1996, due to an undisclosed harassment claim, he established the Natural Products & Glycotechnology Research Institute, a nonprofit, to study the carbohydrate chemistry/biology of tropical parasitic diseases in developing countries and to develop a carbohydrate-based malaria vaccine.

Achievements Several sources have reported that Fraser-Reid was nominated in 1998 for a Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on oligosaccharides and immune responses.

Other interests Along with his interest in science, Fraser-Reid was a pianist and organist who gave recitals at venues such as St. George's Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica (December 1986) and Cathedral de Seville, Spain (August 1995).