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Leland Clark Facts & Worksheets

Leland Clark was an American Biochemist famous for his invention of the Clark electrode.

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Leland Clark was an American Biochemist famous for his invention of the Clark electrode. The Clark electrode measures oxygen in the blood, water, and other liquids, making him the father of biosensors. He also invented a glucose sensor that is used daily by millions of diabetics.

See the fact file below for more information on the Leland Clark or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Leland Clark worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PERSONAL LIFE

  • Leland Clark was born on December 4, 1918 in Rochester, New York.
  • When Leland started high school, he discovered science as an educational discipline, with course work, lab sessions, and grades.
  • Leland went to Antioch College and then the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and physiology. He became an assistant professor of biochemistry at Antioch and a research associate and chairman of the biochemistry department at the University of Alabama Medical College.
  • Leland met Eleanor Wyckoff while he was an undergraduate student at Antioch, and they married in 1939. They had four daughters together.
  • He worked as a professor of research pediatrics and division head of neurophysiology at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation from 1968, retiring in 1991.
  • Leland died on September 25, 2005 at the age of 86.

PROFESSIONAL LIFE

  • Clark received his BS degree in chemistry from Antioch College in 1941, later receiving his Ph.D. in biochemistry and physiology from the University of Rochester in 1944.
  • In 1944 Leland began work as the assistant professor of biochemistry at his alma mater, Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
  • Leland began his career in biosensors in 1949 when he created the prototype for the first heart-lung machine. He was looking for an easier way to measure oxygen levels in the blood, so he began working with different electrode designs.
  • He came up with the membrane polarographic oxygen electrode in 1954, allowing for real-time monitoring of a patient’s blood oxygen level. The electrode works by reducing oxygen to hydrogen peroxide and water. Its key feature is an oxygen-permeable plastic membrane that protects the electrode from becoming affected by proteins.
  • The standard for measuring blood gases became commonly called the Clark electrode. The Clark electrode helped Leland and his colleagues to perfect the heart-lung machine.
  • Leland left Antioch in 1958 when he was the head of the department.
  • From 1955 to 1958, Leland held a simultaneous appointment at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Senior Research Associate in Pediatrics and Surgery.
  • In 1958, Leland moved to Alabama to join the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama Medical College as an associate professor of biochemistry, later becoming a professor of biochemistry in the same department.
  • In 1962, Leland invented the first biosensor with Champ Lyons, originally designed to detect glucose, quickly becoming a tool to monitor and control glucose, lactate, and dozens of other blood components.
  • Clark also invented a synthetic blood substitute. The experiment began in 1963 while he worked at the Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham.
  • Leland returned to Cincinnati in 1968, working at the Children’s Hospital Research Foundation and later re-joining the faculty at the University of Cincinnati and Antioch. He would become the driving force to research and develop the PFCs for biomedical applications, including liquid ventilation of the lungs of premature infants and retinal reattachment eye surgery.
  • Leland became the professor of research pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation in 1968.
  • After retirement, he helped found the company Synthetic Blood International, now known as Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc., which markets his invention Oxtcyte.
  • The other inventions of Leland were put into production and marketed by Yellow Springs Instrument Company.
  • Leland was one of the founding members of the editorial board of the scientific journal Biosensors & Bioelectronics in 1985.
  • In 1991 Leland co-founded Synthetic Blood International, a company that developed PFC formulations as oxygen carriers. The company also developed an implantable glucose sensor.
  • Leland published more than 400 scientific papers in biomedicine and has numerous U.S. and foreign patents, mainly in the field of medical instrumentation and fluorocarbons.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • National Research Council Fellowship in 1941
  • NIH Research Career Award in 1962
  • Distinguished Lecturer Award and American College of Chest Physicians in 1975
  • Honorary Doctor of Science, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1984
  • Horace Mann Award for Service to Humanity from Antioch College in 1984
  • Heyrovsky Award in Recognition of the Invention of the Membrane-Covered Polarographic Oxygen Electrode in 1985
  • American Association for Clinical Chemistry Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Chemistry in 1989
  • American Heart Association Samuel Kaplan Visionary Award in 1991
  • Enshrinement into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame in 1991
  • Pharmacia Biosensor’s Sensational Contributions to the Advancement of Biosensor Technology Award in 1992
  • Daniel Drake Award for Outstanding Achievements in Research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1993
  • Leland; was elected to the National Academy of Engineers in 1995
  • Awarded the National Academy of Engineering Fritz J and Dolores H Russ Prize in 2005.

Leland Clark Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Leland Clark across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Leland Clark worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Leland Clark who was an American Biochemist famous for his invention of the Clark electrode. The Clark electrode measures oxygen in the blood, water, and other liquids, making him the father of biosensors. He also invented a glucose sensor that is used daily by millions of diabetics.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Leland Clark Facts
  • Leland Clark Profile
  • Heart Pump
  • All in the Heart
  • Invention
  • Leland Clark Quiz
  • Heart and Lung Find a Word
  • True and False
  • Diabetes Diet Plan
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • Let’s Cook!

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