Lore Zech

Lore Zech (1923—2013) was a German geneticist and cytogenetics researcher who made major contributions to the field of cytogenetics. Her research and discoveries paved the way for the identification of anomalies in chromosomes of diseased cells and eventually for many treatments and therapies for these diseases. Her notable works include her discovery of Q-banding and her research on leukemia and lymphoma.

Zech was born in 1923 in Gütersloh, Germany. Her grandmother raised her in Sauerland as Zech's parents died when she was 4 years old. From 1944 till after World War II, Zech studied medicine at the University of Marburg in Germany. Having left the medical field of study, Lore then picked up biology, chemistry, and physics at the University of Bonn and completed her doctoral thesis at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen. From 1953 till 1989, she worked at the Institute of Cell Research and Genetics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden where most of her notable work was conducted alongside Torbjörn Caspersson. She then dedicated her time at the University Hospital of Uppsala. At the University Hospital, she specifically committed her time to discussions on chromosome analysis at the Department of Medical Genetics, where she taught many research students. During her time as a researcher, Zech's colleagues described her as humorous and empathetic. Many established scientists and young researchers sought her advice and input on their own projects. In March of 2013, Zech died from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a disease she had conducted research on for many years.