Karl Maramorosch
Encyclopedia
Karl Maramorosch is an American virologist, entomologist and plant pathologist.
(now Ukraine
) where he attended primary and secondary schools (Gimnazjum Kazimierza Jagiellonczyka
) and from age of seven took piano lessons for twelve years, graduating from the Moniuszko Conservatory in Stanislawow (Ivano-Frankivsk
) in 1934. He received his Agricultural Engineer degree from the Warsaw Agricultural University
(SGGW) in 1938. At age thirteen he became inspired to become a research
virologist, hearing about the work of Prof. Rudolf Weigl
in Lwow (Lviv)
from his older brother, who was Weigl’s student at the Medical School.
In 1939, after the Nazi invasion of Poland, Maramorosch and his Warsaw
-born wife Irene (née Ludwinowska) fled to Romania
, where both were intern
ed in Polish refugee camps for the following four years. After the liberation of Romania by the Soviet army Maramorosch continued his graduate studies at the Bucharest Polytechnic, choosing plant pathology as his major. In 1947 Karl and Irene emigrate
d to the United States
, where Irene became a librarian in the New York Public Library, where she worked for the following 30 years. In 1949 Karl obtained his doctoral degree (Ph.D.) at Columbia University
. The same year the daughter of Irene and Karl, Lydia Ann, was born in New York. Lydia lives in Los Angeles, where she is vice-president of a residential development and construction firm.
in 1947, followed by twelve years as faculty member at the Rockefeller University
in New York. He modified Weigl’s procedure of lice inoculation
, adopting it to micro-injection of plant pathogenic virus
es and phytoplasma
s into leafhopper
vectors. This permitted Maramorosch to obtain the first evidence that certain plant pathogens multiply not only in plants but also in specific invertebrate animal vectors.
s and phytoplasma
s. His vision, leadership and prodigious research in invertebrate tissue culture research have laid a foundation for the growing, diverse and increasingly important uses of invertebrate-based in vitro expression systems. These systems are used in applications that range from basic research to industrial use, and in fields that range from agriculture
, to medicine
, pharmaceutical drug
discovery, and mammalian cell gene
delivery.
of the United Nations
(FAO) in the Philippines
where he studied the devastating cadang-cadang coconut palm disease. From 1961 till 1973, as Program Director of Virology at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Yonkers, NY, he and his postdoctoral associates used electron microscopy to detect and characterize viruses and phytoplasma
s in cells of diseased plants and insect vectors. In 1974 Maramorosch accepted the invitation from the Board of Governors of Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, to join the faculty at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology
as tenured Distinguished Professor. There, in 1983, he was nominated the Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology. In 1980 Maramorosch was awarded the Wolf Prize in Agriculture
, often called the Agriculture Nobel Prize
, for his work on interactions between insect vectors and plant pathogen
s. Numerous further awards followed, including the Jurzykowski Foundation Award, the AIBS Award, and two Fulbright awards.
Dr. Maramorosch traveled extensively, to lecture and teach as visiting professor in Argentina
, Armenia
, China
, Egypt
, Germany
, India
, Israel
, Japan
, Kenya
, Mexico
, Netherlands
, Nigeria
, Poland
, Russia
, Sri Lanka
, Uzbekistan
and Yugoslavia
. His major research interests include comparative virology, invertebrate cell culture, parasitology
, emerging diseases caused by viroids, viruses, phytoplasmas and spiroplasma
s, biotechnology
, and international scientific cooperation.
, publishing, presenting his findings at professional meetings, and organizing international conferences to promote new advances in the field.
In over 60 years of a productive career Dr. Maramorosch has published as author or co-author more than 800 scientific papers and 100 books.
A partial list follows:
40-48. Methods in Virology, 8 vols. 1967–1984.
49-56. Advances in Cell Culture, 7 vols., 1981-1989.
57-112. Advances in Virus Research, 56 vols. 1973-2009.
Life
Karl Maramorosch grew up in Kolomyja, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) where he attended primary and secondary schools (Gimnazjum Kazimierza Jagiellonczyka
Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV KG of the House of Jagiellon was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447, until his death.Casimir was the second son of King Władysław II Jagiełło , and the younger brother of Władysław III of Varna....
) and from age of seven took piano lessons for twelve years, graduating from the Moniuszko Conservatory in Stanislawow (Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
) in 1934. He received his Agricultural Engineer degree from the Warsaw Agricultural University
Warsaw Agricultural University
The Warsaw University of Life Sciences is the largest agricultural university in Poland. It was founded in 1816.-History:On 23 September 1816 the School of Agronomy was founded at Marymont and was accommodated in the palace of Marysa Sobieski. Branches were established at Bielany, Ruda, Wawrzyszew...
(SGGW) in 1938. At age thirteen he became inspired to become a research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
virologist, hearing about the work of Prof. Rudolf Weigl
Rudolf Weigl
Professor Rudolf Stefan Weigl was a famous Polish biologist and inventor of the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus. Weigl founded the Weigl Institute in Lwów, Poland , where he did his vaccine-producing research.Of Austrian ethnic descent, Weigl was born in Přerov, Moravia...
in Lwow (Lviv)
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
from his older brother, who was Weigl’s student at the Medical School.
In 1939, after the Nazi invasion of Poland, Maramorosch and his Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
-born wife Irene (née Ludwinowska) fled to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, where both were intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
ed in Polish refugee camps for the following four years. After the liberation of Romania by the Soviet army Maramorosch continued his graduate studies at the Bucharest Polytechnic, choosing plant pathology as his major. In 1947 Karl and Irene emigrate
Emigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
d to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Irene became a librarian in the New York Public Library, where she worked for the following 30 years. In 1949 Karl obtained his doctoral degree (Ph.D.) at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. The same year the daughter of Irene and Karl, Lydia Ann, was born in New York. Lydia lives in Los Angeles, where she is vice-president of a residential development and construction firm.
Mechanical transmission of viruses and phytoplasmas to insect vectors
Maramorosch's scientific career began at the Brooklyn Botanic GardenBrooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and Park Slope neighborhoods, the garden includes a number of specialty "gardens within the Garden," plant collections, and the Steinhardt Conservatory,...
in 1947, followed by twelve years as faculty member at the Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
in New York. He modified Weigl’s procedure of lice inoculation
Inoculation
Inoculation is the placement of something that will grow or reproduce, and is most commonly used in respect of the introduction of a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into the body of a human or animal, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease...
, adopting it to micro-injection of plant pathogenic virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es and phytoplasma
Phytoplasma
Phytoplasma are specialised bacteria that are obligate parasites of plant phloem tissue and transmitting insects . They were first discovered by scientists in 1967 and were named mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs. They cannot be cultured in vitro in cell-free media...
s into leafhopper
Leafhopper
Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. Leafhoppers, colloquially known as hoppers, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily Membracoidea in the order Hemiptera...
vectors. This permitted Maramorosch to obtain the first evidence that certain plant pathogens multiply not only in plants but also in specific invertebrate animal vectors.
Invertebrate cell culture
Beginning in 1956 when Maramorosch first cultured insect cells for use in the study of viruses, he has been an active, innovating and inspirational pioneer and contributor to the field of invertebrate pathology, and to the study of plant and animal viruses, viroidViroid
Viroids are plant pathogens that consist of a short stretch of highly complementary, circular, single-stranded RNA without the protein coat that is typical for viruses. The smallest discovered is a 220 nucleobase scRNA associated with the rice yellow mottle sobemovirus...
s and phytoplasma
Phytoplasma
Phytoplasma are specialised bacteria that are obligate parasites of plant phloem tissue and transmitting insects . They were first discovered by scientists in 1967 and were named mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs. They cannot be cultured in vitro in cell-free media...
s. His vision, leadership and prodigious research in invertebrate tissue culture research have laid a foundation for the growing, diverse and increasingly important uses of invertebrate-based in vitro expression systems. These systems are used in applications that range from basic research to industrial use, and in fields that range from agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, to medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, pharmaceutical drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
discovery, and mammalian cell gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
delivery.
Basic and applied research and teaching
In 1960 Maramorosch worked for 6 months as consultant for the Food and Agriculture OrganizationFood and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(FAO) in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
where he studied the devastating cadang-cadang coconut palm disease. From 1961 till 1973, as Program Director of Virology at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Yonkers, NY, he and his postdoctoral associates used electron microscopy to detect and characterize viruses and phytoplasma
Phytoplasma
Phytoplasma are specialised bacteria that are obligate parasites of plant phloem tissue and transmitting insects . They were first discovered by scientists in 1967 and were named mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs. They cannot be cultured in vitro in cell-free media...
s in cells of diseased plants and insect vectors. In 1974 Maramorosch accepted the invitation from the Board of Governors of Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, to join the faculty at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology
Waksman Institute of Microbiology
The Waksman Institute of Microbiology is a research facility on the Busch Campus of Rutgers University. It is named after Selman Waksman, who was a faculty member who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952 for research which led to the discovery of streptomycin. 18 antibiotics were isolated in...
as tenured Distinguished Professor. There, in 1983, he was nominated the Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology. In 1980 Maramorosch was awarded the Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Wolf Prize in Agriculture
The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and the Arts...
, often called the Agriculture Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
, for his work on interactions between insect vectors and plant pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
s. Numerous further awards followed, including the Jurzykowski Foundation Award, the AIBS Award, and two Fulbright awards.
Dr. Maramorosch traveled extensively, to lecture and teach as visiting professor in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. His major research interests include comparative virology, invertebrate cell culture, parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
, emerging diseases caused by viroids, viruses, phytoplasmas and spiroplasma
Spiroplasma
Spiroplasma is a genus of Mollicutes, a group of small bacteria without cell walls. Spiroplasma shares the simple metabolism, parasitic lifestyle, fried-egg colony morphology and small genome of other Mollicutes, but has a distinctive helical morphology, unlike Mycoplasma. It has a spiral shape...
s, biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, and international scientific cooperation.
Editorial work
Dr. Maramorosch continues to be active in the field by conducting researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, publishing, presenting his findings at professional meetings, and organizing international conferences to promote new advances in the field.
In over 60 years of a productive career Dr. Maramorosch has published as author or co-author more than 800 scientific papers and 100 books.
A partial list follows:
- Biological Transmission of Disease Agents, 1962.
- Comparative Symptomatology of Coconut Diseases of Unknown Etiology, 1964.
- Insect Viruses, 1968.
- Viruses, Vectors, and Vegetation, 1969.
- Comparative Virology, 1971.
- Mycoplasma Diseases, 1973.
- Viruses, Evolution, and Cancer, 1974.
- Invertebrate Immunity,1975.
- Legume Diseases in the Tropics, 1975.
- Invertebrate Tissue Culture-Research Application, 1976.
- Aphids as Virus Vector, 1977.
- Insect and Plant Viruses-An Atlas, 1977.
- Viruses and Environment, 1978.
- Invertebrate Tissue Culture - Applications in Medicine, Biology and Agriculture, 1979.
- Practical Tissue Culture Applications, 1979.
- Leafhopper Vectors of Plant Disease Agents, 1979.
- Vectors of Plant Pathogens, 1980.
- Invertebrate Systems in Vitro, 1980.
- Vectors of Disease Agents, 1981.
- Mycoplasma Diseases of Trees and Shrubs, 1981.
- Mycoplasma and Allied Pathogens of Plants, Animals and Humans, 1981.
- Plant Diseases and Vectors-Ecology and Epidemiology, 1981.
- Invertebrate Cell Culture Applications, 1982.
- Pathogens, Vectors and Plant Diseases- Approaches to Control, 1982.
- Subviral Pathogens of Plants and Animals, 1985.
- Viral Insecticides for Biological Control, 1985.
- Biotechnology Advances in Insect Pathology and Cell Culture, 1987.
- Mycoplasma diseases of Crops, 1988.
- Invertebrate and Fish Tissue Culture, 1988.
- Biotechnology for Biological Control of Pests and Vectors, 1991.
- Viroids and Satellites-Molecular Parasites at the Frontier of Life, 1991.
- Plant Diseases of Uncertain Etiology, 1992.
- Insect Cell Biotechnology, 1994.
- Arthropod Cell culture Systems, 1994.
- Forest Trees and Palms- Diseases and Control, 1996.
- Invertebrate Cell Culture-Novel Directions and Biotechnology Applications, 1997.
- Invertebrate Cell Culture- Looking Toward the XXI Century, 1997.
- Biotechnology and Plant Protection in Forestry, 1998.
- Maintenance of Human, Animal and Plant Pathogen Vectors, 1999.
40-48. Methods in Virology, 8 vols. 1967–1984.
49-56. Advances in Cell Culture, 7 vols., 1981-1989.
57-112. Advances in Virus Research, 56 vols. 1973-2009.
Career highlights and Honors
- 1949-60: Assistant to Associate, Rockefeller University
- 1959: AAAS Award
- 1961-74: Program Director of Virology, Boyce Thompson Institute
- 1962: Co-organized the first international conference on invertebrate tissue culture in Montpellier, France
- 1962: Vice President and Recording secretary, New York Academy of Sciences
- 1963: U.S. Delegate, 1st International Committee for Virus Nomenclature
- 1967-1984: Founder and editor, with Hilary Koprowski, Methods in Virology,8 vols. Academic Press
- 1970: Elected Member, Leopoldina Academy, Germany
- 1972: Fulbright Dist. Professor, Yugoslavia
- 1972–present, Editor (vols. 16 – 73, Advances in Virus Research
- 1974–present: Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University, (currently Emeritus Professor)
- 1976: Ciba-Geigy Award in Agriculture
- 1978: ASM Waksman Award
- 1983: Distinguished Service Award of American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
- 1984–present: Robert L. Starkey Professor of Microbiology
- 1974: Honorary Fellow, Indian National Academy of Science (currently Emeritus Professor)
- 1978: Fulbright Dist. Professor. Yugoslavia
- 1980: Wolf Prize in Agriculture,( for studies of interactions between insects and plant pathogens)
- 1981: Jurzykowski Foundation Award in Biology (for exemplary research achievements and pioneering contributions to the field of insect cell culture)
- 1981-1989: Founder and editor, Advances in Cell Culture, 8 vols. Academic Press
- 1982: Distinguished Vis. Professor, Fudan University, Shanghai
- 1987: Honorary Fellow, Indian Virological Society
- 1990: Founder’s Lecturer, Society for Invertebrate Pathology
- 1998: Founder’s honoree, Society for Invertebrate Pathology
- 2001: Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, Society for In Vitro Biology
- 2006: L.O. Howard Dist. Achievement Award, ESA.
- 2010: M.V.Nayudu's Life Time Achievement Award in VIROCON-2010 at Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India on 18 March 2010.