| John Robert Vane | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 March 1927 Tardebigg, Worcestershire |
| Died | 19 November 2004 (aged 77) Kent |
| Citizenship | British |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields | pharmacology |
| Known for | aspirin, prostaglandin |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982 |
Sir John Robert Vane FRS (29 March 1927 – 19 November 2004)[1] was an English pharmacologist and Nobel Laureate, born in Tardebigg, Worcestershire. His father was the son of Russian immigrants and his mother came from a Worcestershire farming family. He was educated at King Edward's School in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and studied Chemistry at the University of Birmingham in 1944. Vane completed a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Oxford in 1953. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982 along with Sune K. Bergström, Bengt I. Samuelsson for "their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances".
He held a post at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of the University of London in the Royal College of Surgeons of England for 18 years. During that time he developed certain bioassay techniques that led to important scientific discoveries. He won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982 for his work on aspirin in which he discovered it inhibited prostaglandin biosynthesis.[2][3][4][5]
In 1973, Vane left academia and took up the position of director of research of the Wellcome Foundation. He was knighted in 1984. In 1985 he returned to academic life at the William Harvey Research Institute at the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital (now Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry).[6]
He died on November 19, 2004 in Princess Royal Hospital, Kent from long-term complications arising from leg and hip fractures he sustained in May of that year.