Today is the birthday of Helen Dyer, a biochemist born in 1895 and known for her research on the biological precursors to cancer. Working at the National Cancer Institute, Dyer discovered that vitamin B-6 can thwart a potent liver carcinogen in animals. The finding stimulated further research on the vitamin's protective role against cancer. In 1949, Dyer compiled the first comprehensive index of tumor chemotherapy.
Source: Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Notable Women in the Physical Sciences: A biographical dictionary (Greenwood Press, 1997)
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