Eva Klein

Post-retirement, Klein continues to support students and pursue her research interests as emerita Professor with her own research Group. Another of her interests is translating Hungarian poetry into Swedish. She gave an interview to Swedish radio in November 2015, saying that continuing to work keeps her young at 90.

Klein was awarded the Karolinska's Silver Medal for Medical Research in 2010.

In 2005, the year of the Kleins' 80th birthdays, scientists at the Karolinska Institute established the Georg and Eva Klein Foundation, including a major donation from the Cancer Research Institute.

In addition, Klein has been awarded honorary degrees from the University of Nebraska (in 1993) and the Ohio State University (in 2003).

Klein became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1987 and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1993. In 2013, she was elected to fellowship of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy.

In 1975, the U.S. Cancer Research Institute established the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology. The inaugural award was shared by 16 scientists considered to be "founders of cancer immunology", including Eva and George Klein. Their award noted their "discoveries of tumor-specific antigens in the mouse, to the most comprehensive immunological analysis of a human cancer, Burkitt's lymphoma".

In the 1970s, the Kleins' research groups were investigating whether there was an interaction between lymphocytes and antitumor response. Eva pursued an area she considered critical, while others did not. She jointly supervised three students (Rolf Kiessling, Hugh Pross and Mikael Jondal) with another Professor (Hans Wigzell), leading to the discovery of a unique type of lymphocyte (white cell) responsible for spontaneous cytotoxicity - the ability to "kill" tumor cells or cells infected with viruses. Klein named them "natural killer cells".

In the 1960s, she led the discovery of natural killer cells and developing Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines.

In the 1960s, Eva Klein developed cell lines from Burkitt's lymphoma that continue to be used.

Klein became an assistant professor at the Karolinska Institute in 1948, and achieved tenure in 1979. She established her own areas of research from 1948 encouraged by Torbjörn Caspersson from Karolinska's Department of Cell Research and Genetics, while also collaborating closely with her husband throughout her career.

Eva married another medical student George Klein, leaving Hungary to live in Sweden in 1947. She completed her medical degree at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 1955.

Fischer attended medical school at the University of Budapest, and in 1944/45 she and several members of her family survived by hiding at the Histology Institute of the University of Budapest. They were helped by János Szirmai, including forging documents. Szirmai was honored as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. Fischer broke from her medical studies to act in the theater, but returned to medicine.

Eva Klein (née Eva Fischer; born January 22, 1925) is a Hungarian-Swedish scientist. Klein has worked at the Karolinska Institute since leaving Hungary in 1947. She is regarded as a founder of cancer immunology.

Eva Fischer was born on 22 January 1925 in Budapest, Hungary, to a well-to-do Jewish family. She attended private school, with an interest in sports, theater, and science (inspired by the life and work of Marie Curie). Her career choices were constrained by the political situation, with worsening anti-semitism and persecution when Hungary was occupied by Germany after she finished secondary school.