Eloise "Elo" R. Giblett (January 17, 1921 – September 16, 2009) was an American genetic scientist and hematologist who discovered the first recognized immunodeficiency disease, adenosine deaminase deficiency.
During this time, Giblett worked under Clement Finch, a renowned hematologist interested in iron metabolism.
Giblett primarily assisted with his research on erythrokinetics, the dynamic study of the production and destruction of red blood cells.
[3][10] Giblett also worked with geneticist Arno Motulsky studying erythrokinetics in splenomegaly, kicking off a decades-long collaboration.
Her research assisted in refuting the standard practice at the time of segregating blood donations based on the race of the donor.
[12] In 1958, Giblett began research studying polymorphisms of the human plasma proteins haptoglobin and transferrin using starch gel electrophoresis.
[5][13] As a result of her studies on genetic variation, Giblett documented the first case of a mosaic individual conceived from dispermic fertilization of two eggs followed by cell fusion.
Giblett assisted in discovering genetic markers that could confirm graft success, regardless of donor sex, using polymorphic blood proteins.
[16] Giblett eventually expanded her research into the activity of polymorphic proteins in human plasma and blood cells, leading to her famous discovery of the first immunodeficiency disease.
One polymorphic protein used as a routine a genetic marker for transplants was adenosine deaminase (ADA) located in red blood cells.
The patient was a candidate for bone marrow transplantation from her mother; analysis of blood samples surprisingly revealed that the child exhibited no ADA activity.
Giblett soon discovered a second case where ADA deficiency underlaid immune dysfunction, leading her to conclude that the two may be related.
Throughout her career, Giblett collaborated with some of the most notable and talented scientists of her era, including: Oliver Smithies, Alexander Bearn, James Neel, Curt Stern, Victor McKusick, Ernest Beutler, Stanley Gartler, Walter Bodmer, John Cairns, David Weatherall, Henry Kunkel, H. Hugh Fudenberg, and Newton Morton.
Giblett attempted to allay fears about the hazard of giving blood and closely followed the incidence of the disease in previously transfused patients.
She was a board member of the American Society of Hematology, the Western Association of Physicians and the New York Blood Center Research Advisory Committee.
[19] Upon her retirement, she was awarded emeritus status at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Puget Sound Blood Center.
This professorship is intended to attract talented medical professionals in hematology and keep Giblett's legacy alive.