David Baltimore (1938–2025) | Nature Biotechnology

In 1965, he launched his independent research laboratory at the Salk Institute, where his early work on animal viruses led to the discovery of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, or reverse transcriptase — a finding that reshaped molecular biology by overturning the prevailing ‘central dogma’ that genetic information flows only from DNA to RNA to protein¹. A move to the US East Coast followed — to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Rockefeller University and the Whitehead Institute, where his research continued to redefine virology, immunology, and cancer biology through foundational discoveries associated with the RAG genes, V(D)J rearrangement, NF-κB and the abl oncogene². Three decades later, he returned westward as the seventh president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). While at Caltech, he championed collaborations that linked Caltech, The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC) and the City of Hope (COH), envisioning a Los Angeles bio-hub for engineering immunity, connecting academic excellence with biotechnology innovation, translating discovery into therapy, and bringing science to patients. His westward journey thus became more than a return; it was a renewal of his lifelong belief that discovery thrives where curiosity, rigor and community converge.

His voyage west also brought him his life’s greatest partnership. When David began his independent career at the Salk Institute, he met Alice Huang — a brilliant young virologist whose intellect and warmth soon captured his heart. They married soon after, beginning a 56-year partnership of science, mutual respect and enduring love. Together, they journeyed from the Salk to MIT, Rockefeller, the Whitehead Institute and finally back to Caltech — always side by side. Alice, herself an accomplished biologist and scientific leader, was David’s closest collaborator and steadfast companion; together they raised their daughter, TK, and cherished their granddaughter, Tesla.