Michael Potter ’46

A longtime scientist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Mike Potter studied mouse plasma cells, a form of white blood cells that produce antibodies, the proteins that battle human disease. He found that each plasma tumor produced a different antibody molecule. He shared his findings, and his mouse cells, worldwide.

Based on Mike’s research, two English scientists fused his mouse cells with a mouse spleen to create new cells that produced monoclonal antibodies that treat diseases from cancer to arthritis to autoimmune disorders. In 1984, with a Swiss scientist, the British pair received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. One month later, Mike received the Lasker Award for basic medical research, considered second only to the Nobel.

When Mike died of acute myeloid leukemia June 18, 2013, his successor as head of the NCI’s Genetics Lab said his colleagues “absolutely” believed Mike should have shared in the Nobel. He added, however, that Mike never expressed disappointment.

Mike’s wife of 50 years, Jeanne Ann Phelan Potter, died in 2004. His son Michael died in 2012. Survivors include his daughter, Melissa Adde Magrath; his brother, Parker Potter; three granddaughters; and a great-grandson. Heartfelt condolences from ’46 go to them all.