Lewis Lemon Coriell

Lewis L. Coriell (19 June 191119 June 2001) was a virologist who discovered how to sustain living human cells in culture free of contamination, developed aseptic air filtration techniques, launched one of the first two biobanks recognized by the National Institutes of Health and founded the Coriell Institute for Medical Research.

Career and research

Education Coriell began his studies at the University of Montana in the fall semester of 1930. He participated in intercollegiate athletics, joined a fraternity, and worked as the medical proctor of South Hall, the men's dormitory.

In 1935, Coriell was admitted to both the graduate and medical school at the University of Kansas. He completed his master's degree in the spring of 1936, with his thesis focusing on antibody formation. Later that year Coriell began his medical schooling. Beginning in 1941, he got his first taste of pediatric medicine, serving for sixteen months at the Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. He graduated first in his medical school class in 1942.

Henry Ford Hospital In the summer of 1942, Coriell was awarded an internship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He began his residency in cardiology, but would specialize in pediatrics, and won certification from the American Board of Pediatrics in 1943. His time at Henry Ford Hospital was cut short by the notice of military conscription.

Polio trials John Enders learned that Coriell had developed a method of growing the Varicella zoster virus in a lab setting and visited him to learn about it. Enders imparted this knowledge to a man on his team named Thomas Weller who later tried this technique on the polio virus and found success. Enders, Weller and another member of their team were later awarded the Nobel Prize for their breakthrough.

In 1951, Coriell was selected to be the field director for the Polio Prevention Study, a double-blind test of gamma globulin inoculation.

In the following decades, the Foundation established its lauded biobank, conducted groundbreaking research, developed air filtration technology, advanced cell culture techniques and continued to advance science through research, biobanking and laboratory services. The Foundation was renamed in Coriell's honor when he retired in 1985.

The Clean Room Project In 1965 the John A. Hartford Foundation awarded the Foundation a grant to study dust-free biomedical environments, beginning "the cleanroom project." Undetected contaminants can result in invalidated experiments, wasting time, talent, and money. catalog contained a wide variety of collections—cell lines and DNA representing human inherited genetic disorders, apparently healthy controls, human amniotic fluid cultures, fibroblasts representing chromosomal abnormalities, cell lines representing human populations from different geographic locations as well as different species, and much more.

Personal life Coriell was born June 19, 1911, in the agricultural community of Sciotoville, Ohio. In 1916, his family moved to Montana. He attended school in Stanford. Coriell excelled in sports in high school, playing both football and baseball.

He married Ester Lentz, a Missoulan and daughter of a prominent district court judge, on June 19, 1936, Coriell's 25th birthday. They had three sons, James, Steven, and Thomas. Two of Coriell's grandsons have participated in the Coriell Institute's annual Summer Experience for Students.

Coriell retired in 1985, turning over the Foundation to Gary McGarrity as acting president. On June 19, 2001, Coriell died at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Awards and honors

Awards

Distinguished Service Award, Camden County Junior Chamber of Commerce 1953 Presidential Medal, International Poliomyelitis Congress 1957 Man of the Year, Delaware Valley Council 1963 Nominated, New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2025

Honorary degrees, professional and honorary affiliations Alpha Omega Alpha, honorary medical society