Rosalvn Sussman Yalow

摘要

The radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique — for which Rosalyn Sussman Yalow received a share of a Nobel prize in 1977 — has revolutionized almost every field of medicine. It uses radio-isotope tracers to measure the concentration of tiny amounts of substances in the blood and other body fluids. Being able to measure levels of hormones, drugs, vitamins and viruses suddenly made it possible for researchers and clinicians to diagnose problems and treat patients with appropriate doses of medication, and to probe the causes of numerous diseases. Yalow, who died on 30 May aged 89, trained in physics and never took a course in biology. Yet in the second half of her career she knew more physiology and medicine than many physiologists and physicians. Her inexhaustible