Dr. Alvin M. Mauer. Early studies in white cell kinetics

Certain serendipidous events shaped the professional career of Dr. Alvin Mauer and made it possible for him to complete research that exerted a powerful influence on our understanding of the kinetics of granulocytes and leukemia cells. The availability of the isotope, P32-tagged diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP32), was essential to the successful conduct of his early studies on granulocyte kinetics. Later the availability of tritium-labeled thymidine made it possible to label specific subpopulations of dividing leukemic cells and to precisely determine their proliferative characteristics and other biological features. The establishment of comprehensive centers for management of children with hemophilia was made possible by the discovery of the technique used in the preparation of cryoprecipitate. Comprehensive care of these children for the first time became feasible and cost-effective.