Nobel Prize in Medicine
Jewish recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine documented in the ThankJews directory. Jews are about 26% of all recipients — while making up roughly 0.2% of the world's population.
61 documented recipients
Paul Ehrlich1908
Chemotherapy
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1908
Elie Metchnikoff1908
Discovered phagocytosis and cellular immunity; Nobel 1908 (NOT the inventor of yogurt; he popularized the probiotic/lactic-acid longevity theory)
Source: Nobelprize.org; Wikipedia (mother of Jewish descent)
Robert Bárány1876
Otologist awarded the 1914 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular (balance) apparatus of the inner ear.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Otto Meyerhof1884
Awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize for discovering the relationship between oxygen consumption and lactic acid metabolism in muscle.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Karl Landsteiner1930
Discovery of the human blood groups
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 1930
Otto Warburg1931
Discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 1931
Otto Loewi1936
Demonstrated chemical neurotransmission (acetylcholine); Nobel 1936
Source: Nobelprize.org
Joseph Erlanger1874
Physiologist awarded the 1944 Nobel Prize for research on the differentiated functions of single nerve fibers.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Ernst Chain1906
Biochemist awarded the 1945 Nobel Prize for the isolation and development of penicillin as a therapeutic drug.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Hermann Muller1890
Awarded the 1946 Nobel Prize for showing that X-rays induce genetic mutations.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Gerty Cori1896
Biochemist awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize for discovering the Cori cycle of glycogen metabolism; first woman to win the medicine Nobel.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Tadeus Reichstein1897
Awarded the 1950 Nobel Prize for research on the hormones of the adrenal cortex, including cortisone.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Selman Waksman1943
Streptomycin (first antibiotic for TB)
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1952
Hans Krebs1953
Discovery of the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) in cellular metabolism
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 1953
Fritz Lipmann1899
Awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize for discovering coenzyme A and its role in metabolism.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Joshua Lederberg1958
Genetic Recombination
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1958
Arthur Kornberg1959
DNA Synthesis
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1959
Konrad Bloch1912
Biochemist awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize for elucidating the metabolism of cholesterol and fatty acids.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
François Jacob1920
Awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize for discovering the operon model of gene regulation.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
André Lwoff1902
Awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize for work on lysogeny and the genetic control of viruses.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
George Wald1906
Awarded the 1967 Nobel Prize for discovering the biochemical processes of vision in the retina.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Marshall Nirenberg1968
Genetic Code
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1968
Salvador Luria1912
Awarded the 1969 Nobel Prize for discoveries on the replication and genetics of viruses (bacteriophages).
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Julius Axelrod1970
Neurotransmitters
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1970
Bernard Katz1970
Nerve Signals
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1970
Gerald Edelman1929
Awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize for determining the chemical structure of antibodies.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Karl von Frisch1886
Awarded the 1973 Nobel Prize in Medicine for decoding the 'dance language' of honeybees
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biomedical Science
David Baltimore1975
Reverse Transcriptase
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1975
Howard Temin1975
Reverse Transcriptase
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1975
Baruch Blumberg1976
Hepatitis B Virus and Vaccine
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1976
Rosalyn Yalow1977
Radioimmunoassay
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1977
Daniel Nathans1928
Awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize for applying restriction enzymes to map the genetic makeup of viruses.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Baruj Benacerraf1920
Immunologist awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize for discovering immune response genes controlling the histocompatibility (MHC) system.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
John Vane1927
Awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize for discovering how aspirin works and the biology of prostaglandins.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
César Milstein1927
Awarded the 1984 Nobel Prize for developing the technique to produce monoclonal antibodies.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Michael Brown
No contribution details recorded yet.
Joseph Goldstein1940
Awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize for discovering the LDL receptor and regulation of cholesterol metabolism.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Stanley Cohen1986
Growth Factors
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1986
Rita Levi-Montalcini1986
Nerve Growth Factor
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1986
Gertrude Elion1988
Rational drug design principles yielding treatments for leukemia and other diseases
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 1988
Harold Varmus1989
Oncogenes and Cancer Biology
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 1989
Edmond Fischer1920
Awarded the 1992 Nobel Prize for discovering reversible protein phosphorylation as a biological regulatory mechanism.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Alfred Gilman1941
Awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for the discovery of G-proteins and their role in cellular signal transduction.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Martin Rodbell1925
Awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for the discovery of G-proteins in cellular signal transduction.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Stanley Prusiner1997
Discovery of prions, a new biological principle of infection
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 1997
Robert Furchgott1916
Awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize for discovering nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Paul Greengard1925
Awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for discoveries on signal transduction in the nervous system.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Eric Kandel2000
Signal transduction in the nervous system underlying memory
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 2000
Sydney Brenner2002
Genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 2002
H. Robert Horvitz1947
Awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize for discoveries on the genetic regulation of programmed cell death (apoptosis).
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Richard Axel1946
Awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize for discovering odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Andrew Fire2006
Nobel laureate in medicine (2006) for the discovery of RNA interference (gene silencing)
Source: Nobel Prize Medicine 2006
Bruce Beutler1957
Immunologist awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for discoveries on the activation of innate immunity via Toll-like receptors.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Ralph Steinman1943
Awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for discovering dendritic cells and their role in adaptive immunity.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
James Rothman1950
Awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for discovering the machinery regulating vesicle traffic in cells.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Randy Schekman1948
Awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for discovering genes controlling the cell's vesicle transport system.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Michael Rosbash1944
Awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for discovering molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
Harvey Alter1935
Awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology
David Julius1955
Awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering receptors for temperature and touch
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biomedical Science
Drew Weissman2023
Nucleoside base modifications enabling effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
Source: Jinfo.org / Nobel Prize Medicine 2023
Gary Ruvkun1952
Awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize for the discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Biology