Eloise Giblett
Eloise "Elo" R. Giblett (January 17, 1921 – September 16, 2009) was an American genetic scientist and hematologist who discovered the first recognized immunodeficiency disease, adenosine deaminase deficiency. Giblett was a professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle and executive director of the Puget Sound Blood Center in Seattle. The author of over 200 research papers, she also wrote an esteemed textbook on genetic markers, Genetic Markers in Human Blood, published in 1969. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1980.
Eloise R. Giblett | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 17, 1921 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2009 (aged 88) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | University of Washington (BS, MS, MD) |
| Known for | Identification of the first immunodeficiency disease |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology Human Genetics |
| Institutions | Puget Sound Blood Center |
| Academic advisors | Patrick Mollison Clement Finch E. Donnall Thomas |
Giblett discovered the first immunodeficiency disease: adenosine deaminase deficiency. She identified and characterized numerous blood group antigens (including the ‘Elo’ antigen, named after her). Her work paved the way for safe red blood cell transfusions. She also applied her understanding of red blood cell protein polymorphisms to genetic linkage analyses, was senior author on the paper that demonstrated the feasibility of unrelated marrow transplantation for leukemia, and was an early supporter of bone marrow donation.