Kalman Laki (February 1, 1909 – February 12, 1983), sometimes referred to as Koloman Laki, was a Hungarian-American biochemist who contributed to the discovery of factor XIII. He was a scientist at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Kálmán Laki | |
|---|---|
 Statue in Abádszalók, Hungary | |
| Born | February 1, 1909 |
| Died | February 12, 1983 (aged 74) |
| Alma mater | University of Szeged |
| Awards | Kossuth Prize[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | National Institutes of Health |
Biography
editBorn in Szolnok, Hungary, Laki completed doctoral studies in chemistry at the University of Szeged before coming to the United States in 1947 as an NIH scientist.[2] He was the chief of the biophysical chemistry laboratory at the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In 1970, he became the head of a physical biochemistry laboratory at the institute.[2]
Laki and biochemist Laszlo Lorand (whom Laki had recruited to Albert Szent-Györgyi's laboratory when Lorand was a medical student) worked on biochemical research in coagulation.[3] A substance they identified, initially named Laki–Lorand factor, became known as factor XIII.[4] Laki was awarded an honorary medical degree from the University of Debrecen.[2]
Laki died at Fairfax Hospital in 1983.[2] He had been in the hospital after minor surgery when he had a heart attack.[5]
References
edit- ^ American Men of Science: A Biographical Directory. R.R. Bowker. 1966. p. 2970. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Dr. Kalman Laki, 74, biochemist at National Institutes of Health". The Washington Post. February 16, 1983. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Lorand, L (July 2005). "Factor XIII and the clotting of fibrinogen: From basic research to medicine". Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. 3 (7): 1337–1348. doi:10.1111/j.1538-7836.2005.01213.x. PMID 15978088.
- ^ Chandrasekhar, N; Osbahr, A; Laki, K (March 9, 1964). "The mode of action of the Laki-Lorand factor in the clotting of fibrinogen". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 15 (2): 182–187. doi:10.1016/0006-291X(64)90321-3. PMID 26410914.
- ^ Mihalyi, E (June 15, 1983). "Kalman Laki (1909–1983)". Thrombosis Research. 30 (6): 549–552. doi:10.1016/0049-3848(83)90262-1. Retrieved November 16, 2015.