Melvin Cohn

Melvin Cohn (1922 – October 23, 2018) was an American immunologist who co-founded the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. He demonstrated that immunoglobulins and white blood cells interact directly with pathogens to protect the body from infection, and is considered a pioneer in the research of regulation of gene expression.

During World War II, Cohn was drafted into the United States Army and served in a medical research unit in the Pacific Theater. After the end of the war, he was sent to Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 to study the after-effects of the atomic bombing of the city.

Career From 1949 Cohn worked in Paris, France, at the Pasteur Institute, researching genes and cells with the French scientist Jacques Monod, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He later married again, to biologist Suzanne Bourgeois.

Honors and recognition Some of the honors and awards Cohn had received:

Eli Lilly and Company-Elanco Research Award (1956) Honorary Member of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology (1978) Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1980) Sandoz Prize in Basic Immunology (1995)