Renato Dulbecco, a physician and virologist born in 1914, fundamentally changed the field of oncology by identifying how specific viruses interact with the genetic material of animal cells. His research established the basis for understanding how viral infections can trigger the transformation of normal cells into malignant tumor phenotypes, a discovery that fundamentally altered modern virology.
Formative Education and Wartime Service
Born in Catanzaro, Italy, Dulbecco spent his childhood in Imperia. He entered the University of Turin, where he studied under Giuseppe Levi and developed professional relationships with future Nobel laureates Salvador Luria and Rita Levi-Montalcini. In 1936, he served as a medical officer before being recalled during World War II. Following his service on the front in France and Russia, where he sustained injuries, he participated in the Italian resistance movement.
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After the war, Dulbecco emigrated to the United States. He joined Indiana University to collaborate with Luria before moving to the California Institute of Technology in 1949. Working with the phage group, he adapted plaque assay techniques—previously used for bacteria—to animal viruses. This method for the Western equine encephalitis virus allowed for the first quantitative assessment of animal viral behavior, providing a template for studying poliovirus.
Nobel Prize and Genomic Research
Dulbecco shared the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his findings on tumor viruses. His research demonstrated that these viruses insert genetic material into host cells, a process facilitated by reverse transcriptase. Later in his career, he contributed to the launch of the Human Genome Project in 1992. His professional trajectory included faculty positions at the Salk Institute and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
Later Scientific Contributions
Returning to Italy between 1993 and 1997, he presided over the Institute of Biomedical Technologies at the National Council of Research in Milan. His final years focused on mammary gland cancer stem cells. He posited that single cells with stem-like properties could drive tumor initiation. Dulbecco continued his laboratory investigations into these mechanisms until his death in 2012 in La Jolla.
Fast facts
- Born: 1914, Catanzaro, Italy
- Died: 2012, La Jolla
- Education: University of Turin
- 1975 Nobel Prize: Physiology or Medicine
- Key Field: Virology
- Member: Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences
- 1992 Role: Human Genome Project
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of Dulbecco's plaque assay technique?
It enabled scientists to quantitatively study animal viruses, which was previously impossible, and established the foundation for modern animal virology.
Did Dulbecco discover reverse transcriptase himself?
No, Howard Temin and David Baltimore made that discovery independently, but Dulbecco taught them the methods they used to achieve it.
Achievements
- Foreign Member of the Royal Society — 1974
- Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research — 1964
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine — 1975
- Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic — 1981
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic — 1991
- Leeuwenhoek Lecture — 1974
- Held posts at California Institute of Technology, Human Genome Project and Indiana University
- Educated at University of Turin
- Fields of research: virology