1898-1983

American cell biologist who received the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, shared with George Palade and Christian de Duve, for research toward defining the specialized functions of various cell structures. Claude developed a method for separating cell components into different sizes, shapes, and densities using a centrifuge, a device that spins at high speeds, distributing the cell material in layers. Claude pioneered the use the electron microscope. He also discovered the endoplastic reticulum, a structure that plays a part in the formation and transport of fats and protein, and the mitochondria, the center of the cell's energy production.