title: Michael Heidelberger and the demystification of antibodies.
abstract: Having defined the protein nature of antibodies under the tutelage of Oswald Avery, Michael Heidelberger was the first to apply mathematics to the reaction of antibodies and their antigens (the "precipitin reaction"). Heidelberger's calculations launched decades of research that helped reveal the specificity, function, and origin of antibodies.
authors.affiliation: hvanepps@rockefeller.edu
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Van Epps
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D007120:Immunochemistry / Q000266:history*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D009584:Nitrogen