Barnett (Barney) Rosenberg

Barnett (Barney) Rosenberg, 82, an emeritus professor of biophysics and chemistry at Michigan State University, died on Aug. 8, 2009.

A native of New York City, Rosenberg received a B.S. degree in physics from Brooklyn College in 1948 and earned an M.S. degree in 1950 and Ph.D. degree in physics in 1955, both from New York University (NYU).

He worked as a senior research physicist at Westinghouse Electric from 1956 to 1958 and served as a research project director at NYU from 1958 to 1961.

Rosenberg was then recruited to Michigan State, where he cofounded its biophysics department and began a research program focused on the electrical and photoconductivity of proteins and visual pigments. In 1963, Rosenberg and his coworkers began studying the effects of electric fields on bacterial cell division and growth. Their experiments led to the discovery and development of the anticancer drugs cisplatin and carboplatin. Chemotherapy based on these two drugs has saved the lives of thousands of cancer patients.

Rosenberg is survived by his wife, Ritta; and children, Tina and Paul.