Before the start of World War I, Hungarian Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi worked alongside his uncle, a famous professor at the University of Budapest in 1911. During that time, Szent-Gyorgyi developed a passion for research and expressed an interest in continuing his studies at the university.
Unfortunately, World War I broke out and he had to give up his research to join the army. He served his country, and received the Silver Medal for Valor, before returning to his studies in Budapest where he gained extensive experience and knowledge working under three researchers, G. Mansfield, Armin von Tschermak, and L. Michaelis. Because of this association with these distinguished research pioneers, Szent-Gyorgyi completed his studies at the Institute of Tropical Hygiene in Hamburg, Germany.
When he finished in Hamburg, Szent-Gyorgyi began working with H.J Hamburger in Groningen, Netherlands in 1926. While working with H.J. Hamburger, he focused on the mechanisms of cell respiration. One component of cell respiration involves the citric acid cycle, and though Sir Hans Adolf Krebs further developed the citric acid cycle, Szent-Gyorgyi uncovered how to transfer organic compounds into sources to reproduce and recreate cell production. The source that Szent-Gyorgyi created was fumaric acid, which Krebs used to stabilize the production of citric acid. The citric acid cycle is also referred to as the “tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), or the “Krebs cycle.” The newly developed cell production was “Vitamin C.”
He left the Netherlands in 1927 and worked at two prestigious medical institutions in the United States-Cambridge University and the Mayo Foundation. While in the United States, Szent-Gyorgyi used paprika in his research to extract Vitamin C formulated as absorbic acid. He took his research lab back to Hungary and continued working with the paprika to create flavin from the oxidative process of C4-dicarboxylic acids, which in turn, led to the discovery of flavanone, better known as Vitamin P.
Building off the success of using paprika, Szent-Gyorgyi worked with Joseph Svirbely, American Charles King, and Zoltan Bay to uncover proponents that affect the immune and muscular systems in the body.
Szent-Gyorgyi, Svirbely, and King demonstrated how hexuronic acid affected the adrenal glands, and the outcome of this research proved that a lack of Vitamin C in a person’s diet causes scurvy. Without consulting Szent-Gyorgyi, Svirbely, and King took the results of the study and published the findings claiming full credit. Unfortunately, Szent-Gyorgyi never received credit for this research, but got a quiet nod for the 1937 Nobel Peace Prize “for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to Vitamin C and the catalyst of fumaric acid.”
“It’s unbelievable. They made me the father of Vitamin C, while I was not and they refused to make me the father of Vitamin P, which I was, “ said Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi in a statement to Professor Jack Marqulier.
Despite the fact that Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi did not receive credit for his research efforts, he forged ahead with the help of friend and fellow researcher, Zoltan Bay. Szent-Gyorgyi and Bay developed myosin, and when combined with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), myosin activates actin in muscles. The actin forces contractions in the muscles of the body. During the height of his research in Hungary, World War II began, and he became a fugitive wanted by Adolf Hitler. Once the war ended, he created a laboratory at the University of Budapest, but he did not want to live under a Communist government.
In 1947, he arrived in the United States and established himself as an esteemed professor and researcher. He created the Institute for Muscle Research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., where he continued to work on his research later received the Lasker Award for the study of the effects of electron microscopes on muscles. In 1955, Szent-Gyorgyi became a United States citizen, and while continuing his muscle research, Szent-Gyorgyi developed a passion for cancer research. He founded of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and his research led to the discovery that “free radicals” are the precursor of cancer forming cells. His work inspired a young research fellow to write an autobiography about his life entitled, “Free Radical: Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi and the Battle over Vitamin C.”
Sources:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1937/szent-gyorgyi-bio.html
http://www.whoamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1542.html