Kalman Laki
Hungarian-American biochemist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalman Laki (February 1, 1909 – February 12, 1983), sometimes referred to as Koloman Laki, was a Hungarian-American biochemist who contributed to the discovery of factor XIII. He was a scientist at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Kálmán Laki | |
|---|---|
Statue in Abádszalók, Hungary | |
| Born | February 1, 1909 |
| Died | February 12, 1983 (aged 74) |
| Alma mater | University of Szeged |
| Awards | Kossuth Prize[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | National Institutes of Health |
Biography
Born in Szolnok, Hungary, Laki completed doctoral studies in chemistry at the University of Szeged before coming to the United States in 1947 as an NIH scientist.[2] He was the chief of the biophysical chemistry laboratory at the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases. In 1970, he became the head of a physical biochemistry laboratory at the institute.[2]
Laki and biochemist Laszlo Lorand (whom Laki had recruited to Albert Szent-Györgyi's laboratory when Lorand was a medical student) worked on biochemical research in coagulation.[3] A substance they identified, initially named Laki–Lorand factor, became known as factor XIII.[4] Laki was awarded an honorary medical degree from the University of Debrecen.[2]
Laki died at Fairfax Hospital in 1983.[2] He had been in the hospital after minor surgery when he had a heart attack.[5]