Rodney Robert Porter
English biochemist and Nobel laureate (1917-1985) · United Kingdom · Academics · Died at 67
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A typical day, 30 days to 17 September 2026
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Something wrong?Split an antibody molecule in half and mapped how it works - the structural blueprint that turned immunology from folklore into engineering.
A life in dates
Also in Deutsch
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Awards
About this person
Rodney Robert Porter was born on 8 October 1917 in Britain, trained as a biochemist, and spent years taking antibodies apart piece by piece when no one knew what held them together. He used enzymes to cleave the molecule, separated the fragments, and revealed the Y-shaped architecture that lets one end bind antigen while the other triggers immune response. The work won him the Nobel Prize and gave medicine the map it needed to design targeted therapies. He died on 6 September 1985.
In common with Rodney
César MilsteinBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science AwardLouise JohnsonBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science Award
John E. WalkerBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science Award
Adrian Peter BirdBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science Award
John GurdonBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science AwardDavid Chilton PhillipsBoth received Portland Press Excellence in Science AwardFame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.