Israel S. Kleiner (April 8, 1885-June 15, 1966)
Submitted by Alan D. Rogol, MD, Ph.D
Israel Kleiner, a native of New Haven CT, completed his undergraduate and Ph.D (physiologic chemistry, 1909) at Yale University. His research career began at Rockefeller Institute, but he moved to NY Medical College becoming Dean in 1921. He was among the first to determine that extracts from the pancreas were glucose lowering in dogs infused with glucose and caused hypoglycemia in diabetic dogs (Proc Nat Acad Sci 1915; 1:338).
The slow iv infusion of an aqueous pancreas emulsion led to a marked, but temporary decrease in glycemia and glycosuria in diabetic dogs (J Biol Chem 1919; 40:153). In understatement Kleiner noted “…that these pancreas emulsions lower blood sugar…without causing toxic effects, indicates a possible therapeutic application to human beings (ibid).