Dr. Bert L. Vallee
06/01/1919 – 05/07/2010
Dr. Bert Lester Vallee was born in Germany and came to the United States in December, 1938. He began his illustrious academic career as the first and only Fellow of the International Student Service of the League of Nations. He was admitted to New York University (NYU) through Professor Richard Courant, founder of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. This came at a time when it was both difficult and expensive to receive concurrent degrees in science and medicine but Dr. Vallee earned his B.S. from the University of Bern in Berne, Switzerland and later received his M.D. from New York University, College of Medicine. Undoubtedly, during that period of time in U.S. history, the rewards for such an achievement were less than attractive, but he had the foresight to recognize that the growth of life sciences would be rapid and that at some point a merger between the disciplines would be inevitable. Dr. Vallee saw the opportunity to be an integral part of a yet to be created field and made sure that he was suitably educated to take it on.
Dr. Vallee found himself assigned by the U.S. government to a wartime project during WWII. Based on an inter-institutional arrangement, he was assigned to the HMS/MIT team which collaborated with the HMS Department of Physical Chemistry under the direction of Drs. Edwin Cohn and John Edsall. The accomplishments of this team were great and although his role was minimal, it served as the most “remarkable apprenticeship” in his ultimate career.
While carrying his full course load at MIT, Dr. Vallee became interested in the metabolism of iron and that of other metals such as zinc and copper. Little was known about this topic at the time and the development of spectrochemistry was moving rapidly. Captivated by the intellectual and research potentials of spectroscopy in general and emission spectroscopy in particular, Dr. Vallee formulated a plan to make the detection, structure and function of metal containing biological systems (proteins in general and enzymes in particular) the pivot of an extended research plan. Cognizant of a fellowship that was being awarded to two incumbents by the Committee on Growth of the National Research Council, Dr. Vallee applied for and was awarded one of those spots. What was to be three years of research in biology fields of the his choice and in an institution willing to house him, turned into six years spent in the physics and biology departments at MIT under the direction of Professor John R. Loofbourow, professor of biophysics, Professor George R. Harrison, professor of physics, head of the MIT spectroscopy laboratory as well as dean of science and HMS (PBBH) in a joint appointment. Co-incidentally was the establishment of the Biophysics Research Laboratory (BRL) at HMS. The work that he initiated at MIT continued, now emphasizing the design, construction and utilization of new spectrochemical facilities and their impact on biology medicine and other disciplines.
With the expert help and guidance of his mentors and with the assistance provided by the shops, Dr. Vallee built a flame spectrometer by conversion of a one meter Wadsworth grating spectrograph into a flame photometer designed to detect and quantify Na, K, Mg and Ca in biological matter. At that time these elements could not be measured accurately when present in physiological concentrations. This new instrument would be prototypical of others ultimately capable of monitoring these elements routinely for clinical purposes. These elements were soon discovered to be essential for the diagnosis and treatment of seemingly infinite numbers of clinical problems in biochemical metabolism. In fact, these elements and the instruments monitoring them have become indispensable in the management of a multitude of diseases and are now employed routinely.
He continued his efforts to define, develop and evaluate new spectroscopic flame sources for the excitation and spectral emission of atoms, e.g., the cyanogen/oxygen fuelled flames which resulted in work that has broadened implications for many other scientific disciplines such as geology. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy became the anchor of his efforts to make biological spectroscopy an intrinsic part of modern biological and medical science. In 1955 it was realized that atomic flame absorption results in much more sensitive methods than does atomic emission. Recognizing the importance of this observation, Dr. Vallee and his colleagues worked to determine the roles and occurrence in minute amounts of metals in biological matter. They converted their extensive investment in porous cup spark spectroscopy and replaced it with atomic absorption equipment of their own design. As a consequence, they placed themselves in a strong position to spearhead that field and accomplished just that. As a result, interest in spectrochemistry was vitalized and resulted in the introduction of new generations of equipment, marketing and scientific research in bioinorganic spectroscopy. These activities and his subsequent publications soon earned him recognition as a professional spectrochemmist.
Dr. Vallee’s contributions have led to the identification of a considerable number of zinc enzymes and has immensely extended the understanding of the role in which zinc plays in biology. From 1955 to 1965, the first ten years of the operation of the Biophysics Research Laboratry, numerous zinc metalloproteins and enzymes were identified including alcohol dehydrogenases. In fact, the discovery of alcohol dehydrogenase has led to a better understanding of the metabolism of alcohol in humans and ultimately to the discovery of the potential therapeutic abilities of the Kudzu root in the treatment of alcoholism. Dr. Vallee confirmed the effects of Kudzu and isolated Daidzin- the most potent of the isoflavones in the kudzu root over 30 years ago. Currently, experiments and clinical research are underway for the synthetic form of Daidzin as a drug in the fight against alcoholism. Furthermore, this discovery proves that alcoholism is not an acquired disease caused by ones own volition but rather is a genetic issue that requires a scientific resolution. Dr. Vallee’s work undoubtedly has paved the way for such a resolution.
Since then, literally several hundred zinc metalloenzymes and proteins have been recognized and identified. It is now known that nearly 100 different enzymes depend on zinc for their ability to catalyze vital chemical reactions. A broad range of significant therapeutic developments have depended on his work, including insight into the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Vallee’s knowledge and expertise has awarded him numerous honorary degrees from places like the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and professorships from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry in China. He was the author of over 600 scientific articles, nine books, and was undoubtedly a pioneer in the study of spectrochemistry, biological, biochemical and genetic basis of general organogenesis and angiogenesis. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His global network extended from the halls of MIT in Cambridge to the labs of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Currently, Dr. Vallee was Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professor and Paul C. Cabot Professor of Biochemical Sciences, Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and his work continues via The Vallee Foundation.
