Mary Jane Osborn
American biochemist and molecular biologist
Mary Jane Osborn (September 24, 1927 – January 17, 2019) was an American biochemist and microbiologist known for her research on the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (bacterial endotoxin), a key component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and discovering the mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug methotrexate. She headed the Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Connecticut Health Center and served as president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Early life and education
Mary Jane Merten was born on September 24, 1927, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her family moved to Beverly Hills, California when she was five, and her father was very supportive of her scientific interests and ambitions.
She received a bachelor's degree in physiology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1948. She then earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Washington in 1958, where her thesis research investigated the function of folic acid-dependent enzymes and vitamins. In 1957, while working in the laboratory of F. M. Huennekens, she discovered the mechanism of action of methotrexate, a pharmaceutical drug used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.
Career
After receiving her Ph.D., she began a postdoctoral microbiology fellowship at the New York University College of Medicine, and was appointed assistant professor there in 1962. In 1963, she joined the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as an assistant professor, and was promoted to associate professor in 1996.
She joined University of Connecticut School of Medicine as professor in 1968, where, as one of the founding members, she helped develop their medical school program.
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