Carl Ferdinand Cori was a pioneering Czech-American biochemist born in Prague on December 5, 1896, whose career spanned the transformative era of modern biochemistry. He received his medical degree from the German University of Prague in 1920 before immigrating to the United States in 1922 to join the State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases in Buffalo, New York, where he and his wife Gerty began their groundbreaking research on carbohydrate metabolism. In 1928, the Coris became naturalized American citizens, and in 1931, Carl accepted a position at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he served as Professor of Pharmacology and later Professor of Biochemistry, establishing one of the most influential biochemical research programs of the 20th century.
The Coris' most significant contribution was their elucidation of the metabolic pathway now known as the Cori cycle, which describes the cyclical process where lactic acid produced by muscle contraction is converted to glycogen in the liver and then back to glucose for muscle energy. In 1936, they isolated glucose-1-phosphate, termed the 'Cori ester,' which represented the first step in glycogen breakdown and synthesis, enabling the enzymatic synthesis of glycogen in vitro for the first time. Their systematic research on carbohydrate metabolism progressed from whole animal studies to isolated tissues and eventually to purified enzymes, including the crystallization of glycogen phosphorylase, which catalyzes the reversible conversion between glycogen and glucose. This body of work fundamentally transformed understanding of how the body stores and utilizes energy at the molecular level.
Carl and Gerty Cori's discoveries earned them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1947, making them the third married couple to receive this honor, with their research providing critical insights into metabolic disorders like diabetes where carbohydrate regulation is disrupted. Their meticulous approach to biochemical research established a model for studying metabolic pathways through increasingly refined experimental systems, from whole organisms to isolated enzymes. In recognition of their enduring contributions, both Coris were designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 2004, and their work continues to underpin modern understanding of energy metabolism, influencing generations of biochemists and medical researchers studying metabolic diseases and hormonal regulation.
