Earl Warren Davie (October 25, 1927 - June 6, 2020) was an American biochemist. He was a professor emeritus of biochemistry at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
. Davie studied the
blood proteins
Blood-proteins, also termed plasma proteins, are proteins present in blood plasma. They serve many different functions, including transport of lipids, hormones, vitamins and minerals in activity and functioning of the immune system. Other blood pr ...
involved in
coagulation
Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanis ...
and was among the first scientists to describe the steps of the clotting process. He was a member of the
National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
.
Early life
Davie was born on October 25, 1927, in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...
,
to Charles and Teckla Davie. He grew up in
La Grande, Washington
La Grande is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. La Grande is located along Washington State Route 7 southwest of Eatonville. La Grande has a post office with ZIP code 98348.
C ...
and attended Eatonville High School.
He received an undergraduate degree in 1950 from the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
, where he had worked in the laboratory of biochemistry professor Donald Hanahan.
[ He completed a Ph.D. at UW in 1954.] During his doctoral studies, Davie worked with Hans Neurath
Hans Neurath (October 29, 1909 – April 2002) was a biochemist, a leader in protein chemistry, and the founding chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was born in Vienna, Austria and received h ...
to learn about protein structure and function.
Career
After a postdoctoral fellowship with Fritz Lipmann
Fritz Albert Lipmann (; June 12, 1899 – July 24, 1986) was a German-American biochemist and a co-discoverer in 1945 of coenzyme A. For this, together with other research on coenzyme A, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in ...
at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
, Davie worked at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine (CWRU SOM, CaseMed) is the medical school of Case Western Reserve University, a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the largest biomedical research center in Ohio.
History
On November ...
from 1957 to 1962, where he met hematologist Oscar Ratnoff, the discoverer of Hageman factor (later known as factor XII
Coagulation factor XII, also known as Hageman factor, is a plasma protein. It is the zymogen form of factor XIIa, an enzyme () of the serine protease (or serine endopeptidase) class. In humans, factor XII is encoded by the ''F12'' gene.
Struc ...
). He then returned to the University of Washington, later chairing the biochemistry department for several years.
Davie has made significant research contributions to the understanding of coagulation
Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanis ...
. Davie and Ratnoff described the sequence of steps in the clotting cascade. Davie and Ratnoff published their clotting cascade model in 1964, around the same time that Robert Gwyn Macfarlane of the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
produced a similar model. Davie cofounded a biotechnology company, ZymoGenetics, in 1981. The company was purchased by Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in nine countries, and affiliates or offices in five countries. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder ...
several years later; in 2000, ZymoGenetics was recreated as an independent company and it was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb
The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...
in 2010.
Honors and awards
In 1980, Davie was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He was named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1987. In 1993, Davie awarded the Stratton Medal from the American Society of Hematology
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted more than 30,000 attendees. The society publishes t ...
; he was named a Legend in Hematology by the society in 2008. He received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Heart Association in 1995. The Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a 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 among the top thre ...
established the Earl W. Davie Symposium in his honor.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davie, Earl
2020 deaths
1927 births
American biochemists
University of Washington alumni
University of Washington faculty
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences