Marjorie Lees

Marjorie Berman Lees (1923–2012) was an American neuroscientist who was emeritus professor of biological chemistry at Harvard Medical School. Her research considered neurobiology and biochemistry. She was the first to identify the Folch-Lees proteolipid. She served as president of the American Society for Neurochemistry in 1983.

Early life and education Lees was born in New York City and was educated in the New York Public School System. She attended Hunter High School, where she credited her physics and chemistry teacher with her enthusiasm for science. She was an undergraduate student at Hunter College, where she was introduced to neuroscience and the nervous system of the Xenopus. She secured funding from the National Institutes of Health and investigated sulfatides. During her doctoral research, Lees identified that it was possible to extract sulfatide using chloroform. and that extracts of sulfatide including a protein. She measured the amount of this protein by determining the amount of ammonia using Van Slyke determination. Lees was the first woman to be made president of the American Society for Neurochemistry, in 1983.

Selected publications

Personal life Lees had three children. She died on January 18, 2012, following a long illness.