Julian Fleischman, a professor emeritus in molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at his residence in Sharon, Massachusetts, due to complications following a fall. He was 91 years old.

“Julian significantly advanced our comprehension of the structure and assembly of immunoglobulins while part of our department,” stated Sean Whelan, chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor of Microbiology at WashU Medicine. “He was also dedicated to educating both graduate and medical students.”

Fleischman became a member of WashU Medicine in 1964 as a newly minted PhD, having experience in the labs of three Nobel Prize recipients.

Born in Philadelphia in 1933, he graduated from the Fieldston School in New York, obtained a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1955, and further pursued his studies at Harvard University. At Harvard, he was the inaugural biochemistry graduate student of James D. Watson, who, along with Francis Crick, had recently released a publication proposing the double-helix configuration of DNA. Watson won the Nobel Prize in 1962.

Fleischman achieved his doctorate from Harvard in 1959 and subsequently worked in Rodney Porter’s laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. Porter, regarded as the pioneer of contemporary immunochemistry, would later clinch a Nobel Prize for research conducted with antibodies that Fleischman sourced from the United States.

Following his tenure in Porter’s lab, Fleischman dedicated a year to the Pasteur Institute in Paris, collaborating with Francois Jacob, another Nobel Prize laureate, followed by a year at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, before joining WashU Medicine in 1964.

Throughout his 34 years at the institution, he instructed immunology to countless medical students and received an Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. He retired in 1998 yet remained engaged in the molecular microbiology department as long as his health allowed.

He is survived by his companion, Carol Warner; his sister, Naomi Towvim; and numerous nephews. In lieu of floral tributes, his family recommends a contribution to the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63110.

Originally published on the WashU Medicine website

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