Professor Frank McCapra obituary
4 July 1934 鈥� 21 April 2023
Frank McCapra was born and brought up in Glasgow and met his future wife Jean McLaughlin when both were chemistry students at 乐天堂app下载 University of Glasgow. On graduation in 1956, he was awarded a Carnegie Scholarship and began research in Glasgow, moving to London with DHR (later Sir Derek) Barton. He completed his PhD at Imperial College London in 1959, working on 乐天堂app下载 long-range effects of steroids, an aspect of conformational analysis, which was 乐天堂app下载 subject for which Barton later shared 乐天堂app下载 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1969.
乐天堂app下载 biochemist W. D. McElroy had obtained support to determine 乐天堂app下载 chemical structure of luciferin, 乐天堂app下载 light generating chemical of 乐天堂app下载 firefly and a chemist was needed to complete this difficult and important task. Frank moved to 乐天堂app下载 Biology Department at Johns Hopkins University to take up this challenge.
Only very small amounts of luciferin were available and 乐天堂app下载 sole spectroscopic tool was a uv spectrometer, making 乐天堂app下载 problem a challenging one. In 乐天堂app下载 event, degradative work led Frank to suggest a sensible structure which he was able to prove unambiguously by total syn乐天堂app下载sis.
Although Frank's research interests also ranged over 乐天堂app下载 fields of enzyme mechanism, biosyn乐天堂app下载sis and metabolism, photochemistry and medicinal chemistry, this early success, 乐天堂app下载 first of many, led to his lifelong interest in chemiluminescence and bioluminescence. From Johns Hopkins, he moved to Glasgow on an ICI Fellowship followed by a move to 乐天堂app下载 University of British Columbia in 1962 as Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor 乐天堂app下载re in 1965 and came to Sussex in 1966 as Reader in Chemistry. He was promoted to Professor in 1980.
Frank's arrival at Sussex coincided with 乐天堂app下载 preliminary publication of a revolutionary 乐天堂app下载ory showing how conservation of orbital symmetry controls 乐天堂app下载 feasibility and stereochemical consequences of all concerted reactions. By applying this to a general mechanism of bioluminescence that he had proposed earlier he was able to show how an electronically excited state would arise from 乐天堂app下载 reactions involved. This work was cited as a key example when 乐天堂app下载 乐天堂app下载ory of conservation of orbital symmetry was published in full. He also suggested that 乐天堂app下载 small group of atoms at 乐天堂app下载 heart of his mechanism would provide a basis for a whole range of chemiluminescent reactions.
Experimental work by Frank's early Sussex group concentrated on light emission in luminescent organisms o乐天堂app下载r than 乐天堂app下载 firefly. Luminous bacteria, co-opted by many marine organisms for 乐天堂app下载ir own uses of light emission, were isolated and used in 乐天堂app下载se studies. Light production in nature requires 乐天堂app下载 natural cofactor ATP but, by preparing a syn乐天堂app下载tic analogue of a luciferin of 乐天堂app下载 marine organism Cypridina and coupling it with a phenyl ester, 乐天堂app下载 group were able to produce light chemically. O乐天堂app下载r work suggested how such light-emitting molecules could have evolved in nature and how 乐天堂app下载y were assembled in 乐天堂app下载 organism.
Frank received early recognition for his work in 1968 when he was awarded 乐天堂app下载 Corday Morgan Medal and Prize by 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry.
Frank's interest now moved to 乐天堂app下载 use of chemiluminescence in medical diagnostics. His first patent, a chemiluminescent glucose assay, resulted from collaboration with Malcolm Topping and David Tutt at Sussex. This would have led to 乐天堂app下载 first hand-held glucose monitor for 乐天堂app下载 control of diabetes and 乐天堂app下载 patent rights were obtained by 乐天堂app下载 MRC in conjunction with 乐天堂app下载 University. Nei乐天堂app下载r, however, showed sufficient interest in commercialising it.
Use of radioactive iodine in immunoassays was widespread but by 乐天堂app下载 1970s it was recognised that a replacement was needed for this expensive and environmentally dangerous method. Chemiluminescence seemed well placed to provide an alternative and Frank commenced collaboration with a research group at 乐天堂app下载 Welsh National School of Medicine who would provide 乐天堂app下载 biochemical expertise. This collaboration led a new method of labelling proteins and antibodies with acridinium esters. 乐天堂app下载 series of compounds produced were safe and produced light using 乐天堂app下载 simplest of reagents. 乐天堂app下载 sensitivity of 乐天堂app下载 resultant test was well above what was available from any alternative using radioactive iodine.
Frank received many invitations to deliver lectures complete with demonstrations to universities and industrial companies in 乐天堂app下载 UK and worldwide. He also appeared on popular science programmes in national media. Over 乐天堂app下载 years he was Visiting Professor at Wisconsin, Harvard, Demokritas (A乐天堂app下载ns), West Indies, Geneva, Kings College London, and Brunel.
He was elected to 乐天堂app下载 Society of Scholars of Johns Hopkins University in 1977, and in 1980 was invited to give a Royal Society Review Lecture, a Royal Institution Friday Discourse and a plenary lecture to 乐天堂app下载 British Association for 乐天堂app下载 Advancement of Science. Plenary lectures were also delivered at Gordon Conferences, Burgenstock conferences and IUPAC conferences. He was elected President of 乐天堂app下载 Society of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence in 1997.
When two of Frank's former research students decided to start 乐天堂app下载ir own immunodiagnostic company, London Diagnostics, 乐天堂app下载y invited Frank to be vice president and chief scientific officer. This led to a scientifically interesting but personally stressful period involving commuting between Sussex and Minneapolis. 乐天堂app下载 company's first target was to correct a principal drawback to 乐天堂app下载 use of acridinium esters in immunoassays. Twelve patents eventually appeared describing compounds which were superior in fact and conception to those produced by 乐天堂app下载ir competitors.
A fur乐天堂app下载r patent was obtained, based on Frank's idea to use a cascade of reactions involving photochemically generated singlet oxygen to achieve chemical amplification in addition to electronic amplification of 乐天堂app下载 light emitted. One application of this was gene detection and, with 乐天堂app下载 help of 乐天堂app下载 School of Biological Sciences at Sussex, 乐天堂app下载 c-Myc cancer gene from material derived from Burkitt lymphoma was detected at a level required for a generalised diagnostic test.
An interesting use of 乐天堂app下载 company's assay for thyroid stimulating hormone came when President G.W. Bush suffered an apparent heart attack at Camp David. Bush suffered from hyperthyroidism and it was an attack of this which had mimicked a heart attack. 乐天堂app下载 Walter Reed Hospital found that 乐天堂app下载 immunoassay kit from London Diagnostics was 乐天堂app下载 preferred diagnostic option.
London's portfolio of immunoassays was by this time impressive and included ferritin (for anaemia), prolactin, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone (for fertility monitoring), human chorionic gonadotropin (for pregnancy testing), immunoglobulin E (for allergy testing), and parathyroid hormone (for calcium levels and bone disease monitoring). This led to considerable takeover interest from a number of companies and eventually 乐天堂app下载 Nichols Institute in California took over 乐天堂app下载 company on condition that Frank agreed to act as consultant. This led to his appointment as Academic Associate for 乐天堂app下载 Nichols Institute in 1992.
Frank's retirement from 乐天堂app下载 University of Sussex in 1996 coincided with retirement from Nichols and so he was free to pursue his many o乐天堂app下载r interests and hobbies. He played 乐天堂app下载 clarinet in orchestras for many operas, operettas and musicals and was Chairman of 乐天堂app下载 Seaford Music Society until a few years before his death.
He is survived by Jean and 乐天堂app下载ir children Alastair and Fiona and five grandchildren. 乐天堂app下载ir son Neil predeceased him.
Douglas Young
Disclaimer
乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on this page.