Marguerite Vogt
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Vogt, MD was a cancer biologist
and virologist. She was most noted for her research on polio and cancer at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
.
in 1913. The youngest daughter of Oskar Vogt
and Cécile Vogt-Mugnier
, Marguerite took her M.D.
degree from the University of Berlin in 1937 . Her parents were prominent neuroscientists and she grew up in an intense scientific environment . Her older sister, Marthe Vogt (1903-2003) was a neuropharmacologist who became a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Professor at Cambridge.
, the Black Forest
, where the family took refuge for the duration of World War II
; there she worked extensively on Drosophila
development . She published over 30 papers on the ring gland and homeotic mutants
.
Marguerite moved to the California Institute of Technology
in 1950 to work with Max Delbrück
. He introduced her to Renato Dulbecco
, a junior faculty member in the division of biology
and together, Vogt and Dulbecco worked on methods to culture poliovirus
. They were the first to successfully grow the virus in vitro
and were able to plaque purify it, an essential step for subsequent vaccine
production . Marguerite's technical abilities as a cell culturist were critical to this work. This resulted in a classic paper . They next turned their attention to cancer causing viruses, beginning with the polyoma virus. They were able to culture this virus and examine its latency, resulting in another classic study .
Dulbecco was recruited to the newly founded Salk Institute for Biological Studies
in 1963, and Marguerite joined him as a research fellow in his group . They continued their work on tumor-causing viruses. However, their interests diverged, and in 1973, Marguerite was appointed as a Research Professor which was an independent position that allowed her to pursue her interest in origins of cancer . Her interests evolved to examining cellular immortalization in cancer cells, and the role of telomeres in this process. She published her last paper in 1998.
Marguerite Vogt made significant contributions as a scientist in multiple areas: as a Drosophila developmental geneticist, as a virologist working with Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco, and as an investigator into viral transformation and cellular immortalization. Moreover, she was an influential mentor and colleague to many junior scientists, among them several future Nobel laureates . Her work was never recognized by a major prize, though this is widely viewed as an oversight. She was noted for her dedication, and was busy in her lab even into her 80s.
She died July 6, 2007, at her home in La Jolla, CA.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and virologist. She was most noted for her research on polio and cancer at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a premier independent, non-profit, scientific research institute located in La Jolla, California. It was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among the founding consultants were Jacob Bronowski and Francis Crick. Building...
.
Early life
Marguerite Vogt was born in GermanyGermany
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...
in 1913. The youngest daughter of Oskar Vogt
Oskar Vogt
Oskar Vogt was a German physician and neurologist. He was born in Husum - Schleswig-Holstein...
and Cécile Vogt-Mugnier
Cécile Vogt-Mugnier
Cecile Vogt-Mugnier was a French neurologist from Haute-Savoie.-Family:She obtained her medical doctorate in Paris and was the student of Pierre Marie. There she met her future husband, Oskar Vogt, when he came to Paris to work with Joseph Jules Déjérine...
, Marguerite took her M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the University of Berlin in 1937 . Her parents were prominent neuroscientists and she grew up in an intense scientific environment . Her older sister, Marthe Vogt (1903-2003) was a neuropharmacologist who became a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Professor at Cambridge.
Career
Marguerite Vogt joined her parents at a private Institute in NeustadtNeustadt
- Germany :* in Baden-Württemberg:** Titisee-Neustadt, a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald* in Bavaria:** Bad Neustadt an der Saale, the capital of the Rhön-Grabfeld district...
, the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, where the family took refuge for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; there she worked extensively on Drosophila
Drosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
development . She published over 30 papers on the ring gland and homeotic mutants
.
Marguerite moved to the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
in 1950 to work with Max Delbrück
Max Delbrück
Max Ludwig Henning Delbrück was a German-American biophysicist and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Delbrück was born in Berlin, German Empire...
. He introduced her to Renato Dulbecco
Renato Dulbecco
Renato Dulbecco is an Italian virologist who won a 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on reverse transcriptase. In 1973 he was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University together with Theodore Puck and Harry Eagle. Dulbecco was the recipient of the Selman A...
, a junior faculty member in the division of biology
and together, Vogt and Dulbecco worked on methods to culture poliovirus
Poliovirus
Poliovirus, the causative agent of poliomyelitis, is a human enterovirus and member of the family of Picornaviridae.Poliovirus is composed of an RNA genome and a protein capsid. The genome is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that is about 7500 nucleotides long. The viral particle is...
. They were the first to successfully grow the virus in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
and were able to plaque purify it, an essential step for subsequent vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
production . Marguerite's technical abilities as a cell culturist were critical to this work. This resulted in a classic paper . They next turned their attention to cancer causing viruses, beginning with the polyoma virus. They were able to culture this virus and examine its latency, resulting in another classic study .
Dulbecco was recruited to the newly founded Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a premier independent, non-profit, scientific research institute located in La Jolla, California. It was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among the founding consultants were Jacob Bronowski and Francis Crick. Building...
in 1963, and Marguerite joined him as a research fellow in his group . They continued their work on tumor-causing viruses. However, their interests diverged, and in 1973, Marguerite was appointed as a Research Professor which was an independent position that allowed her to pursue her interest in origins of cancer . Her interests evolved to examining cellular immortalization in cancer cells, and the role of telomeres in this process. She published her last paper in 1998.
Marguerite Vogt made significant contributions as a scientist in multiple areas: as a Drosophila developmental geneticist, as a virologist working with Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco, and as an investigator into viral transformation and cellular immortalization. Moreover, she was an influential mentor and colleague to many junior scientists, among them several future Nobel laureates . Her work was never recognized by a major prize, though this is widely viewed as an oversight. She was noted for her dedication, and was busy in her lab even into her 80s.
She died July 6, 2007, at her home in La Jolla, CA.