Aser Rothstein | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Aser Rothstein

Aser Rothstein, physiologist (born 29 April 1918 in Vancouver, BC; died 4 July 2015 in Guelph, ON). He contributed enormously to the fields of cellular physiology and toxicology.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Rothstein obtained his PhD at the University of Rochester, New York, in 1943. He performed pioneering experiments introducing the use of radioisotopes in the biological sciences. Rothstein's research was mainly related to the transport of substances across biological membranes. His contributions included the identification of the protein responsible for anion transport in red blood cells. He was president of the Society for General Physiologists and chairman of the Cell Physiology Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He was also director of the Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto) from 1972 to 1986.