| RefNo | EC/1979/10 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XX, 143 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Epstein, Sir Michael Anthony: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1977 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Distinguished for his studies on the Rous and Vaccinia Viruses and for his discovert of Epstein-Barr virus. Important innovations in his earlier work were the development and adaptation of freshly harvested free-floating cells for electron microscopy; applied to a specially developed ascites form of the Rous sarcoma this allowed the Rous virus to be quantitated morphologically for the first time providing the starting point for his subsequent pioneer investigations on the complexities of the Rous and Vaccinia viruses. Amongst there were the identification of RNA within the Rouse virus nucleoid and the nucleic acid composition of adeno virus and Herpes Simplex virus. Thereafter a series of studies was undertaken to investigate African Burkitt's lymphoma for the presence of a possible causative virus. As a first step continuous tumour cell lines were established in vitro, thus constituting the first successful long-term culture of any cell of he human lymphoid series. A Herpes-type virus (Epstein-Barr virus) was discovered in the cultured Burkitt's lymphoblasts which, although inert in conventional virological tests was shown to be a member of the human Herpes family on the basis of its antigenic uniqueness. His most recent studies have been concerned with the biological behaviour of monkeys with Koch's postulates fulfilled. In addition replication of the virus has been activated in the squamous epithelial tumour cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the first cell other than a B-lymphocyte in which this has been observed. A list of 108 publications is appended. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA7697 | Epstein; Sir; Michael Anthony (1921-2024); virologist | 1921-2024 |