Hans Adolf Krebs

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Sir Hans Adolf Krebs (August 25, 1900–November 22, 1981) was a German, later British medical doctor and biochemist. Krebs is best known for his identification of two important metabolic cycles: the urea cycle and the citric acid cycle. The latter, the key sequence of metabolic chemical reactions that produces energy in cells, is also known as the Krebs cycle and earned him a Nobel Prize in 1953.

Life

He was born in Hildesheim, Germany, to Alma and Georg Krebs. His father, Georg, was an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. Hans went to school in Hildesheim and studied medicine at the University of Göttingen and at the University of Freiburg from 1918–1923. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Hamburg in 1925, then studied chemistry in Berlin for one year, where he later became an assistant of Otto Warburg at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology until 1930. He then returned to clinical medicine at the municipal hospital of Altona and then at the medical clinic of the University of Freiburg, where he conducted research and discovered the urea cycle.

Because he was Jewish, he was barred from practicing medicine in Germany and he emigrated to England in 1933. He was invited to Cambridge, where he worked in the biochemistry department under Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (1861–1947). Krebs became professor of biochemistry at the University of Sheffield in 1945. Krebs' area of interest was intermediary metabolism. He identified the urea cycle in 1932, and the citric acid cycle in 1937.

In 1953 he was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his "discovery of the citric acid cycle."

He was elected Honorary Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge University in 1979. Krebs died in Oxford, England in 1981. His son, John, Lord Krebs, is also a distinguished scientist.

Timeline

1900 Born in Germany
1918 Began medical school
1923 Graduated from medical school
1925 Graduated with Ph.D. from University of Hamburg
1932 Identification of Urea Cycle
1933 Emigration to the United Kingdom
1937 Identification of Citric Acid Cycle or "Krebs Cycle"
1945 Became a Professor at University of Sheffield
1953 Won the Nobel Prize in Medicine
1958 Knighted
1981 Died in the United Kingdom

References

Weber, G (2001). "Sir Hans A. Krebs Centenary Lecture: cancer and clinical targeting". Adv. Enzyme Regul. 41 1–29.
Stubbs, M; Gibbons G (2000). "Hans Adolf Krebs (1900-1981)...his life and times". IUBMB Life 50 (3): 163–6.
Raju, T N (1999). "The Nobel chronicles. 1953: Hans Adolf Krebs (1900-81) and Fritz Albert Lipmann (1899-1986)". Lancet 353 (9164): 1628.
Kornberg, H; Williamson D H (1984). "Hans Adolf Krebs: 25 August 1900-22 November 1981". Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society. Royal Society (Great Britain) 30 351–85.
Blaschko, H (1983). "Obituary Hans Adolf Krebs (1900-1981)". Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 98 1–9.
Bolodia, G (1982). "A tribute to professor Sir Hans A. Krebs, F.R.S. (1900-1981)". Ethiop. Med. J. 20 (4): 213–9.
(1980). "Aspects of metabolic regulation. Papers contributed by some of his students and colleagues to mark the 80th birthday of H.A. Krebs, 25th August 1980". FEBS Lett. 117 Suppl K1–134.
Kenéz, J (1970). "[H. A. Krebs and the biochemical lesion]". Orvosi hetilap 111 (38): 2247–9.
Sulek, K (1968). "[Nobel prize to Hans Adolf Krebs for discovery of the citric acid cycle and to Fritz Albert Lipmann in 1953 for discovery of coenzyme A and its importance in intermediary metabolism]". Wiad. Lek. 21 (23): 2187–9.
Kornberg, H L (1968). "H. A. Krebs: a pathway in metabolism". Biochem. Soc. Symp. 27 3–9.
BARNETT, C F (1963). "Useful "Useless Information"--A Paradox (Hans Adolf Krebs)". The New physician 12 SUPPL A82–3.
LEUTHARDT, F (1953). "[H. A. Krebs.]". Experientia 9 (12): 474–5.

External links

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