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KohneDavid_Memorial.pdf He left a legacy of significant scientific accomplishment as detailed in this newspaper tribute by the San Diego Union-Tribune:

SCIENTIST STARTED GENPROBE
DAVID KOHNE 1937-2015
By Bradley J. Fikes

An accomplished researcher, a devoted husband and a great friend. That's the legacy of San Diego's pioneering biotech entrepreneur David Kohne, said family, friends and former colleagues.

Best known as a cofounder of GenProbe, one of the county's largest biotech companies, Mr. Kohne died from pneumonia on Nov. 15 at age 78. He also taught biology at UC San Diego, where he mentored students who looked to him as a role model.

The science came first for Mr. Kohne, said Steven Tracy, who was a graduate student of his at UC San Diego in 1975. Tracy, now a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, remained lifelong friends with Mr. Kohne.

"David was, first and foremost, a precise scientist," Tracy said. "He would listen, he would ask very pointed questions, and very quickly he would get to the nub of pretty much any problem you set at him.

"And he was very blunt. ... You either liked David or you didn't. He didn't care if he offended you. His point was to get to the nub of the problem and move on," Tracy added.

Such dedication to research led Mr. Kohne to help establish GenProbe in 1983. The company developed groundbreaking ways to detect diseases with technology that he discovered, long before DNA sequencing became available. Novel then but commonplace now, the concept was that if health providers could spot segments of DNA that are characteristic of a disease, they could make a more accurate diagnosis.

GenProbe went through several owners after its founding. In 2012, the Massachusetts based company Hologic bought it for $3.7 billion.

By then, Mr. Kohne had long since left GenProbe and gone on to other projects. At the time of his death, he was leading the startup company Jaden Bioscience, which he ran with his wife, Connie.

Jaden has worked to develop bloodbased diagnostic tests, Connie Kohne said. The goal is to quickly and accurately identify diseases such as cancer through the characteristic proteins they produce. The tests use a small amount of blood that can be obtained through a finger prick.

The company received a $410,000 grant in 2010 from the Small Business Association to develop such testing, but it hasn't been able to obtain further funding to commercialize it.

What will happen to Jaden now is unclear, Connie Kohne said. "It would have revolutionized diagnostics for cancer, I think," she said.

Mr. Kohne was born on Aug. 20, 1937, in Decatur, Ind. The Kohnes met at GenProbe in the mid1980s. She was educated in biology and chemistry and had served as mayor of the small Oregon town of Lowell. She then moved to San Diego, where she worked at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla before joining GenProbe.

"I had a big chip on my shoulder," she said. "I thought everybody liked him, and I wasn't going to just like him because he was the founder of the company. But when I got to know him, he was wonderful."

Mr. Kohne's accomplishments in science impressed her. He participated in classic research at the Carnegie Institute with renowned researcher Roy Britten, demonstrating that DNA in many species contains frequently repeated sequences. These sequences are important for gene regulation.

Mr. Kohne is also credited for isolating the first genes, also while at the Carnegie Institute. This required more than 90 percent purification of DNA in each gene, as reported in 1969. And Mr. Kohne didn't display the arrogance that some highly accomplished people do.

"It didn't matter whether you had a Ph.D., an M.D. or whatever," Connie Kohne said. "He would take what you said seriously and consider it seriously. He had that kind of humility and connection to people, and that's when I understood why people liked him at GenProbe."

People whom Mr. Kohne helped over the years have made their gratitude known in the wake of his death, she said.

"There are many instances that I'm hearing from different scientists (about) how he encouraged them in their careers and gave them confidence to proceed," she added.

Tracy, Mr. Kohne's former graduate student, said the professor was like a second father to him. "He watched my back as a graduate student," Tracy said.

Mr. Kohne was also known for interrupting his academic work to enjoy sports.

"He used to play basketball a lot, oftentimes coming back with a black eye or something, laughing maniacally and saying he had a really good time. ... He was so cerebral, I think this was his way to vent," Tracy said.

He added that because of attention to helping others and because understanding science was more important than publishing studies, Mr. Kohne didn't wind up in the top ranks of notable scientists.

"David, for all his brilliance, had relatively few publications, although many of them were outstanding," Tracy said. "That was reflected in his desire to nail down certain topics. He was a superb bench scientist."

Besides his wife, Mr. Kohne is survived by two stepchildren; two grandchildren; two sisters; and a brother.

A memorial service was recently held in San Diego to honor Mr. Kohne.

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com
midnight Dec. 3, 2015 - Updated 805 a.m.

(c) Copyright 2015 The San Diego UnionTribune.
All rights reserved.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/03/tp-scientist-started-gen-probe-david-kohne-1937-/

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