Ruth Sager

Ruth Sager yearbook

Ruth Sager (February 7, 1918 – March 29, 1997) was an American geneticist and a pioneer in the field of cytoplasmic genetics. She made significant contributions to the understanding of non-Mendelian inheritance and later to the field of cancer genetics.

Early Life and Education

Ruth Sager was born in Chicago, Illinois. She attended the University of Chicago, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1938. She then went on to receive her master's degree from Rutgers University in 1944 and her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1948.

Career and Research

Sager's early work focused on cytoplasmic inheritance in the green alga Chlamydomonas. Her groundbreaking research demonstrated that genetic information could be inherited through the cytoplasm, challenging the prevailing view that inheritance was solely governed by the nucleus.

In the 1970s, Sager shifted her focus to cancer genetics. She joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and later became the chief of cancer genetics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Her research in this area contributed to the understanding of tumor suppressor genes and the genetic mechanisms underlying cancer.

Awards and Honors

Ruth Sager received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including election to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was also a recipient of the Gairdner Foundation International Award.

Personal Life

Ruth Sager was married to Arthur Pardee, a fellow scientist. She passed away on March 29, 1997, in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Legacy

Ruth Sager's contributions to genetics have had a lasting impact on the field. Her work on cytoplasmic inheritance opened new avenues of research, and her studies on cancer genetics have provided valuable insights into the genetic basis of cancer.

See Also

• Cytoplasmic inheritance
• Non-Mendelian inheritance
• Cancer genetics
• Tumor suppressor gene