Photograph of Nobel laureates Edmond H. Fischer and Edwin G. Krebs in a laboratory, signed by both scientists

ca. 2000. SIGNED PHOTO OF EDMOND FISCHER AND EDWIN KREBS WHO SHARED THEIR LABS AND NOBEL PRIZE IN 1992: CLOSE FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES ENJOYING A LAUGH TOGETHER.

5X7 inch glossy black & white photographs signed in gold ink by both Nobel laureates; label verso of photo, "Photo by Hideki Tomeoko,Seattle, WA."

EDMOND FISCHER (1920-2021) died on August 27 at the age of 101, the oldest living Nobel laureate. Born in Shanghai, he was introduced to the work of Louis Pasteur when his family moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he earned his PhD in biochemistry in 1947. In 1953 he was recruited by Hans Neurath to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he spent his entire career. Shortly after arriving in Seattle, he met biochemist Edwin Krebs, the beginning of a lifelong collaboration and friendship. Known to colleagues as Eddy and Ed, they claimed that their success depended on "two Eds are better than one." EDWIN KREBS (1918-2009) was born in Lansing, Iowa, earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1940, followed by an MD from Washington University in St Louis. After the war, he became a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel laureates Carl and Gerty Cori at Washington University, then was recruited by Hans Neurath to join the faculty of the University of Washington, where he met Fischer. Together, they discovered protein phosphorylation as a regulatory mechanism that was cited in Fischer's obituary in Science as "arguably the most important discovery in cell biology in the 20th century," leading to the development of therapies for cancer, diabetes, and countless other diseases. Fischer and Krebs shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1992 for this work. The photograph highlights the sheer joy shared by the collaborators in their favorite environment. Krebs is remembered as "a kind and gentle mentor who passed on extraordinary insights in a quiet and dignified manner." Fischer was an accomplished classical pianist, "remembered for his penetrating questions in seminars, his wry humor and good spirits, and his constant generosity of time and insights to colleagues." [Quotations from obituaries in Science, 29 January, 2010 and 8 October, 2021].