Endre Alexander Balazs
Endre Alexander Balazs (10 January 1920 – 29 August 2015) was a Hungarian physician and inventor who transformed a natural lubricant into a palliative for arthritic knees. He devoted seven decades to exploring the therapeutic potential of hyaluronic acid.[2] He was enlisted in the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 2012.
Endre Alexander Balazs | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 29 August 2015 95) | (aged
Alma mater | University of Budapest |
Occupation | Doctor |
Known for | Hyaluronic acid |
Awards | Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research (2011)[1] |
Biography
He was born in 1920 in Budapest, Hungary. His father was an engineer at the Budapest Waterworks until the communist takeover after World War II.[2]
He graduated from the University of Budapest in 1942 and started his research career at the Department of Histology and Embryology of the university. In 1947, he continued his research at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.[3] He was the director of ophthalmic research at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center from 1975 to 1982.
He died on 29 August 2015, aged 95, in Saint-Tropez, France.[2]
Philanthropy
He endowed a professorship at the Karolinska Institute.[4]
References
- Endre A. Balazs - Helen Keller Foundation
- "Endre A. Balazs, Doctor Who Found a Lubricant for Arthritic Knees, Dies at 95". The New York Times. 3 September 2015.
- "Endre Alexander Balazs". www.ishas.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Pioneer and donor Endre A. Balazs has passed away". ki.se. Retrieved 13 October 2015.