Charles Thomas Beer (18 November 1915 – 15 June 2010) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

organic chemist who helped in the discovery of

vinblastine Vinblastine (VBL), sold under the brand name Velban among others, is a chemotherapy medication, typically used with other medications, to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder ca ...

. Born in

Leigh, Dorset Leigh () is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated approximately south-southwest of Sherborne. It is known as the site of a former Miz Maze. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 480. His ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, he received a D.Phil. in chemistry from Oxford in 1948. He came to North America in the early 1950s to the department of medical research at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

to work with Robert L. Noble. Together they isolated the anti-cancer drug vinblastine from the leaves of the Madagascar periwinkle plant (vinca rosea) at the University of Western Ontario in 1958. The discovery of vinblastine is generally considered a milestone in the development of chemotherapy. In 1960, he became professor of biochemistry at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. After his retirement, he remained an honorary senior research scientist in the department of cancer endocrinology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. In 1997, he was inducted into the

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame __NOTOC__ The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is a Canadian charitable organization, founded in 1994, that honours Canadians who have contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of people. It has an exhibit hall in London, O ...

. In 2003, he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

References

Canadian Medical Hall of Fame profile

His cancer breakthrough started with periwinkle, 12 test tubes, a rack and a spatula
Globe and Mail obituary, 12 July 2010 1915 births 2010 deaths Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Canadian chemists Organic chemists Canadian medical researchers British emigrants to Canada Members of the Order of Canada People from North Dorset District University of British Columbia Faculty of Science faculty {{Canada-scientist-stub