Beverly Jo Torok-Storb (1948 – May 5, 2023) was an American physician who was Professor of Clinical Research at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington.
History
...
. Her work considered the
stem cell
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...
s that generate blood and the microenvironment of
bone marrow
Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...
.
Early life and education
Torok-Storb was born in 1948, in
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...
, where she was raised in a public housing project.
She became interested in biology during high school, then was an undergraduate student at
PennWest Edinboro.
Torok-Storb worked toward her doctorate at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
.
Research and career
Torok-Storb joined the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington.
History
...
in 1978 and studied
stem cell
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...
s and the microenvironment of bone marrow. Her research identified the interactions between the stem cells in blood and the supportive cells in bone marrow, enabling critical transplants in leukemia and blood cancer.
Prior to the work of Torok-Storb, it was assumed that bone marrow stromal cells could be derived from
Hematopoietic
Haematopoiesis (; ; also hematopoiesis in American English, sometimes h(a)emopoiesis) is the formation of blood cellular components. All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells. In a healthy adult human, roughly ten ...
stem cells. In 1987, Torok-Storb showed that this was not possible. She showed that cells within the bone marrow send signals to stem cells which determine whether transplantations are successful. The
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue t ...
awarded Torok-Storb a $16.7 million grant to develop stem cell therapies.
Torok-Storb also worked with an animal model that could predict the outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplants in humans.
Torok-Storb was part of the Cooperative Center of Excellence in Hematology.
Academic service
Torok-Storb was an advocate for building a more inclusive academic culture. She developed research opportunities for undergraduate students, high school students and people from historically excluded groups. She said that her mentorship has come from her upbringing, “the only reason I made it as far as I did is because of special teachers along the way who let me know that I was capable and I could do it,”.
Death
Torok-Storb died at her home in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, on May 5, 2023, at the age of 75.
Publications
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*
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Awards
* 2013 Community Service Award
* 2018 Seattle Association for Women in Science Award
* 2018 Oliver Press Award for Extraordinary Mentorship
* 2021 Hutch's first Humanity in Science Leadership Award
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torok-Storb, Beverly
1948 births
2023 deaths
People from Erie, Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh alumni
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center people
American physicians