Archives acquires records from Herzenberg Lab
The University Archives is pleased to announce the acquisition of records from the Herzenberg Lab in the School of Medicine. The collection includes research files, lab notebooks, patent records, design schematics, slides, and audiovisual recordings.
Pioneers in the study of genetics, Lee and Len Herzenberg came to Stanford in 1959 to join the newly created genetics department run by Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg. They would go on to develop the Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) and monoclonal antibodies that are widely used as reagents in life science research and are models for the therapeutic antibodies used in several diseases. This work was awarded the 2006 Kyoto Prize.
In honor of Women's History Month, we wanted to highlight Lee's specific contributions. Although she never received a college degree, Lee studied biology and worked as a researcher alongside Len since he began his doctorate at Caltech in 1952. At the time, Caltech did not accept women, but since she was registered at Pomona College nearby, Lee was allowed to audit courses and take tests at Caltech. In 1981, the University of Paris gave Lee the title of Doctor of Science. To date, Lee has authored more than 450 scientific articles and created more than 50 inventions (which have generated $1.5 million in royalties). The Herzenberg Lab has generated a total of about $500 million in royalty income, far more than any other lab at Stanford. After Len died in October, 2014, Lee continued to direct the Lab. Examine Lee's life in more detail in as part of the Pioneering Women oral history project conducted by the Stanford Historical Society: https://purl.stanford.edu/yc836rk6641.
