Gerti and Carl Cori won the 1947 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen. In layman’s terms, they isolated the enzyme that starts the conversion of animal starch to sugar. The Coris joined the University faculty in 1931. Gerti was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize. The Coris weren't the only successful researchers in their lab; in the ensuing years, six future Nobel laureates worked in the Cori lab early in their careers.
Washington
University will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2003-04.
