Arne Wilhelm Kaurin Tiselius was a pioneering Swedish biochemist whose methodological innovations transformed the analysis of biological macromolecules. Born on August 10, 1902, in Stockholm, Sweden, he completed his secondary education in Gothenburg following his father's early death and subsequently enrolled at the University of Uppsala to study chemistry. Tiselius began his distinguished research career in 1925 as a research assistant in Theodor Svedberg's Physical Chemistry Institute at Uppsala, where he conducted groundbreaking work on protein electrophoresis. He earned his doctorate in 1930 with his thesis The Moving Boundary Method of Studying the Electrophoresis of Proteins and later expanded his expertise through research at Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study with support from a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship.
Tiselius made revolutionary contributions to biochemical methodology through his development and refinement of electrophoretic techniques for separating proteins based on their electrical charge, creating what became known as the Tiselius apparatus. His 1937 publication in the Transactions of the Faraday Society detailing an improved electrophoretic analysis method established a precise means of measuring protein electrical properties and characterizing complex biological systems. In 1940, he pioneered adsorption chromatography for protein separation, further advancing biochemical analytical capabilities and revealing the complex heterogeneous nature of serum proteins. The Nobel Committee specifically recognized these discoveries in awarding him the 1948 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research that fundamentally transformed understanding of protein composition and behavior in biological systems.
Beyond his experimental innovations, Tiselius played a pivotal role in shaping scientific research policy in Sweden following World War II, serving as Chairman of the Swedish Natural Science Research Council from 1946 to 1950. He held significant leadership positions within the Nobel Foundation, first as vice president from 1947 to 1960 and then as president from 1960 to 1964, demonstrating his esteemed standing within the international scientific community. Tiselius's methodological frameworks for electrophoresis and chromatography established foundational techniques that continue to influence biochemical research worldwide, with applications spanning clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical development. His legacy endures through these enduring analytical methods and through the numerous scientists who trained in his Uppsala laboratory, benefiting from his patient mentorship and comprehensive expertise in physical biochemical analysis techniques.
