Carl and Gerty Cori

1. Carl and Gerty Cori By. Mike Carrier

2. Background • Carl and Gerty Cori were born and lived in Prague Czechoslovakia and they both studied at the German University of Prague

3. Prior Knowledge • Glycogen is a polymer of glucose • Glycogen is used by many living organisms to store energy • Glycogen is found in the liver • Converted into lactic acid

4. Glucose-1-Phosphate • Discovered that the formation of glucose-1-phosphate is linked to glycogen • Glucose-1-phosphate is used to transport glucose to muscle cells from the liver • When the muscle cells use the glucose, they produce lactic acid • The lactic acid is then transported back to the liver and is used to reform glycogen • Cori cycle

5. Cori Ester • The Coris succeeded in purifying the glucose-1-phosphate • The main problem faced when purifying and enzyme, many enzyme-catalyzed reactions are reversible • The Coris had to wisely choose the enzyme inhibitors, to isolate the enzymes carrying out the reactions

6. Later on • Carl and Gerty Cori’s discovery helped further knowledge in cardohydrate metabolic processes and the discovery of the Cori cycle greatly helped improve the treatment of diabetes later on. • In 1947 the Coris won the Nobel prize for psychology or medicine

7. Bibliography • Cori, Carl and Gerty, Robert K. Griffith, • http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Co-Di/Cori-Carl-and-Gerty.html • Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerty Theresa Cori, Chemical Heritage Foundation, • http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/chemistry-in-history/themes/biomolecules/proteins-and-sugars/cori-and-cori.aspx • Gerty Cori, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerty_Cori • The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947, Carl Cori, Gerty Cori, Bernardo Houssay, The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize, • http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1947/cori-cf-bio.html