Edward C. Franklin

Edward C. Franklin (April 14, 1928 – February 20, 1982) was a pioneering American immunologist and physician. He made major gains in the studies of the aging process with a discovery of a protein known as amyloid, and played a key role in the fight against arthritis. Franklin was a professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and director of Irvington House Institute. The New York Times called Franklin "an international authority on the human immune system".
He discovered heavy chain disease, one type of which is named after him (Franklin's disease). The Edward C. Franklin Award, which is given for achievements in immunology, has been established in his name.

Life and career

Franklin was born in Berlin, Germany in 1928 and immigrated to the USA in 1939 as an escapee from Nazism. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1946 and his medical degree from the N.Y.U. School of Medicine in 1950.

• 1955 research associate at the Rockefeller Institute
• 1958 assistant professor of medicine at N.Y.U.
• 1968 full professor of medicine at N.Y.U
• 1974 elected president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation
• 1979 elected to the National Academy of Sciences
• 1982 dies of a brain tumor, 54 years old