#29: Stanley Prusiner

Stanley Prusiner, a neurologist and biochemist, endured years of skepticism before his groundbreaking discovery garnered the recognition it deserved. In the 1980s, Prusiner proposed the radical idea that infectious proteins, which he coined “prions,” were responsible for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease.

His theory challenged the prevailing belief that only viruses or bacteria could cause infections. Critics dismissed prions as a “heretical” concept and lampooned Prusiner’s work. However, his meticulous research and unwavering conviction eventually led to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1997, validating his groundbreaking theory.