Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, 87, Dies; Pioneer of Viral Research and Immunology

Lead Dr. David Baltimore, Nobel Prize-winning virologist whose discovery of reverse transcriptase transformed immunology and cancer research, died at 87, his institute announced today in La Jolla, California.

Nut Graf Baltimore’s work unlocked the mechanisms by which viruses replicate and spurred novel therapies for HIV/AIDS and cancer. As a leader at the Salk Institute, MIT, Rockefeller University and Caltech, he shaped biomedical research for over half a century and earned the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Early Life and Education

Born March 7, 1938, in New York City, Baltimore pursued science after a high school summer at the Jackson Laboratory in Maine.
He earned his Ph.D. at the Rockefeller Institute in 1964 and joined the Salk Institute in 1965 to study with Renato Dulbecco.

Academic Leadership

1968: Appointed faculty at MIT’s Department of Biology.
1982-1990: Founding director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
1990-1994: President of Rockefeller University.
1994-2006: Ivan R. Cottrell Professor and then president of Caltech, later serving as president emeritus and Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology.

Scientific Contributions

Discovered reverse transcriptase, revealing how RNA viruses copy their genomes into DNA, a breakthrough that underpin HIV research and gene therapy.
Early champion of AIDS research, advocating for vaccine development and antiretroviral therapies.
Elected to the National Academy of Sciences and named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association of Immunologists in 2019.

Legacy and Honors Baltimore’s leadership fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and mentored generations of scientists. He received the Lasker Award (1974), the Nobel Prize (1975), and numerous honorary degrees for his enduring impact on molecular biology and immunology. Continuous tributes are expected at institutions worldwide as the scientific community honors his legacy.