Jan Vilček
Jan T. Vilček (born June 17, 1933) is a Slovak-American biomedical scientist, educator, inventor and philanthropist. He is a professor in the department of microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine, and chairman and CEO of The Vilcek Foundation. Vilček received his M.D. degree from Comenius University Medical School in Bratislava in 1957; and his Ph.D. in Virology from the Institute of Virology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, in 1962.
Jan Vilček | |
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Jan Vilček in 2014 | |
| Born | June 17, 1933 |
| Alma mater | Comenius University in Bratislava |
| Spouse | Marica Vilcek |
| Awards | National Medal of Technology and Innovation (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | microbiology, immunology |
| Institutions | Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences New York University School of Medicine |
| Website | www |
In 1964, Vilček with his wife Marica defected from Communist Czechoslovakia during a three-day visit to Vienna. In 1965, the Vilčeks immigrated to the United States, and have since lived in New York City. Vilček devoted his scientific career to studies of soluble mediators that regulate the immune system (cytokines), including interferon and tumor necrosis factor (TNF).