description Max Theiler Overview
Max Theiler (1899–1972) was a South African-born virologist who worked at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. He developed the 17D strain yellow fever vaccine by serial passage of the virus in tissue culture, creating an attenuated vaccine that became the global standard for yellow fever prevention. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951, making him the first Africa-born Nobel laureate. The 17D vaccine remains in use today.
insights Ranking position
Max Theiler ranks #9 of 150 in the Physician ranking, behind René Laennec, ahead of Ernst Chain.
help Max Theiler FAQ
What does 17D mean in Max Theiler's yellow fever vaccine?
17D is the attenuated yellow fever virus strain developed by Theiler and his colleagues from the Asibi strain. By 1937, they had weakened the virus sufficiently for use as a human vaccine while preserving its ability to provoke immunity.
How did Max Theiler weaken the yellow fever virus?
Theiler's team repeatedly passed the virus through laboratory tissue cultures, selecting a form that had lost much of its disease-causing power. His earlier demonstration that yellow fever virus could be studied in mice also made experimentation less costly than relying on monkeys.
Did Max Theiler receive a Nobel Prize for the yellow fever vaccine?
Yes. He received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it.
Where was the 17D vaccine developed?
Theiler developed 17D while working at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. The strain's suitability for standardization and mass production helped it become the foundation of modern yellow fever vaccination.
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