Edith Graef McGeer, (November 18, 1923 – August 28, 2023) was an American-Canadian neuroscientist, best known for her work and contributions to the research of prevention and treatment of

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

and other

neurodegenerative A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

diseases. Edith McGeer, along with her husband and co-collaborator,

Patrick McGeer Patrick Lucey McGeer (June 29, 1927 – August 29, 2022) was a Canadian physician, professor and medical researcher. He was regarded as a leading authority on the causes and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and was the principal author of the i ...

, were recognized by the International Scientific Institute as one of the 100 most highly cited researchers in neuroscience. She was co-founder of Aurin Biotech, which is advancing the drug AUR1107 in pre-clinical trials and

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...

approval as an

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as ...

treatment for Alzheimer's, muscular degenerative conditions and some

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

Education

McGeer, who said that her interest in mathematics began when she was five, skipped grades at the St. Agatha's School for Girls. At 16 years old, she declared a chemistry major at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...

and was not met with encouragement from the head of the chemistry department, since science wasn't considered a fitting profession for a woman in 1940. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa, McGeer completed her doctorate in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clay ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

in two years.

Career accomplishments and awards

McGeer was a research chemist for the

DuPont Company DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

and moved to

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

where she worked as a research assistant at the University of British Columbia Medical School and eventually received the title of Professor Emeritus. McGeer held 10 patents and contributed to 525 articles and was the recipient of a special award by the British Columbia Science Council for lifetime contribution. McGeer is identified as one of the top 100 most highly cited neuroscientists. She was jointly appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

in 1995 and a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public li ...

in 2001. She died on August 28, 2023, at the age of 99.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGeer, Edith Graef 1923 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American women scientists Alzheimer's disease researchers American neuroscientists Scientists from New York City Swarthmore College alumni University of Virginia alumni American women neuroscientists American expatriates in Canada