Philip Majerus
{{Short description|American biochemist (1936–2016)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Philip Warren Majerus
| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|07|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Chicago
| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|06|08|1936|07|10|df=yes}}
| death_place = University City, Missouri
| residence =
| nationality =
| field = Medicine, biochemistry
| work_institution = National Heart Institute
Washington University School of Medicine
| alma_mater = University of Notre Dame
Washington University in St. Louis
Massachusetts General Hospital
| known_for = confirmed that low-dose aspirin potentially lowers deaths from stroke and heart attacks{{cite journal|last1=Snyder|first1=Alison|title=Philip Majerus|journal=The Lancet|volume=388|issue=10043|year=2016|pages=458|issn=0140-6736|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31159-X|pmid=27529094|doi-access=free}}
| prizes =
}}
Philip Warren Majerus (10 July 1936 – 8 June 2016) was an American biochemist who confirmed the cardiovascular benefits of aspirin. After graduating from medical school and completing a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Majerus conducted research at the National Heart Institute before becoming a faculty member at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Early life
A native of Chicago and the son of a five-and-dime store owner, Majerus grew up in Quincy, Illinois. As a child, he had no interest in any school subject other than science, and he seemed to thrive once one of his schoolteachers set up a chemistry laboratory where Majerus could perform hands-on experiments.{{cite journal |last1=York |first1=John D. |last2=Vagelos |first2=P. Roy |title=A tribute to Philip W. Majerus |journal=The Journal of Clinical Investigation |date=1 September 2016 |volume=126 |issue=9 |pages=3161–3164 |doi=10.1172/JCI89724 |pmid=27584729 |pmc=5004966 |language=en |issn=0021-9738|doi-access=free }}
Majerus was a talented tennis player, which earned him an athletic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, where he completed an undergraduate degree in 1958. Majerus graduated from medical school at the Washington University School of Medicine.{{cite journal |last1=Kornfeld |first1=Stuart A. |title=Phil Majerus: Champion of low-dose aspirin therapy |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=30 August 2016 |volume=113 |issue=35 |pages=9668–9669 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1611323113 |pmid=27516543 |pmc=5024574 |bibcode=2016PNAS..113.9668K |language=en |issn=0027-8424|doi-access=free }}
Career
After completing a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Majerus worked for the National Heart Institute, conducting research on fatty acid biosynthesis in E. coli in the laboratory of P. Roy Vagelos. Then he joined the Washington University School of Medicine faculty, shifting his research focus to hematology.{{cite journal|last1=SoRelle|first1=Ruth|title=Philip W. Majerus, MD: Bristol-Myers Squibb Award|journal=Circulation|date=11 August 1998|volume=98|issue=6|page=491|doi=10.1161/01.CIR.98.6.491|pmid=9714102|url=http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/98/6/491.full|accessdate=18 June 2016|language=en|issn=0009-7322|doi-access=free}} Majerus said that the Vietnam War had pushed him toward a career in research; after his residency, he had the choice between going to war as a physician or working for the government in his research position.
Majerus studied the role of platelets in the clotting process, and he proved that low-dose aspirin therapy could reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke.{{cite web|last1=Alamdari|first1=Natalia|title=Washington University professor dies, was known for research showing aspirin prevents blood clots|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/obituaries/washington-university-professor-dies-was-known-for-research-showing-aspirin/article_3d44947a-3512-53eb-8a23-e82767252a4a.html|website=stltoday.com|accessdate=19 June 2016|date=17 June 2016}} His work with clotting led to discoveries related to inositol, a substance that has importance in several bodily functions.
In 1987, he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.{{cite web|title=Fellows {{!}} AAAS MemberCentral|url=http://membercentral.aaas.org/fellows?LastName=&Section=All&Country=All&State=All&name=majerus&company=|publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science|accessdate=18 June 2016}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He was also awarded the Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology.{{cite web |last1=Holland Durando |first1=Elizabethe |title=Philip W. Majerus (1937 – 2016) |url=https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/100116/philip-w-majerus-1937-2016 |website=asbmb.org |accessdate=18 May 2020 |date=1 October 2016}}
Later life
Majerus retired in 2014 and he died of prostate cancer in 2016. He had four children with his first wife, the former Janet Brakensiek. He was survived by his second wife, Dr. Elaine Flansburg Majerus.{{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Sam|title=Dr. Philip Majerus, who discerned aspirin's heart benefits, dies at 79|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/us/dr-philip-majerus-among-the-first-to-discern-aspirins-heart-benefits-dies-at-79.html|work=The New York Times|accessdate=19 June 2016|date=14 June 2016}}
References
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Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's tennis players
Category:Washington University School of Medicine alumni
Category:Washington University School of Medicine faculty
Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States
Category:Journal of Clinical Investigation editors