Thomas Scott Edgington - Polymath, Colleague, Mentor, Friend
March 02, 2021
Written by Francis V. Chisari, MD and Michael B.A. Oldstone, MD
Thomas Edgington, an outstanding scientist and a world leader in the field of vascular biology, passed away Jan. 22, 2021, just 19 days before his 89th birthday. An Emeritus Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, he spent 55 years during his career at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and its precursor, The Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.
Edgington joined TSRI as a postdoctoral fellow in 1965 to study immunology and immunopathology under Frank J. Dixon, MD, the founder of the institute and a giant in those fields. He was the most unusual of Dixon's postdoctoral fellows in that he resigned his tenured faculty position at UCLA and returned his two NIH grants in order to do full-time research as a postdoctoral fellow in what was arguably the premier immunology institute in the world at the time.
Edgington was a pioneer. He introduced the first fraction collector at TSRI and one of the first FACS machines. For several years, he served as chairman of the Department of Pathology at Scripps Clinic while also directing his basic research laboratory at TSRI. He formed a vascular-biology unit, drawing members from several TSRI departments who, collectively, generated a mountain of highly original and fundamentally important observations over the years.
He was adventurous. He brought insatiable curiosity and energy to everything he did from mechanical engineering to radiation biology, from human pathology to cancer diagnosis, from protein-protein recognition to immunology, virology, lipoprotein biology and his favorite topic, the molecular basis for blood coagulation. He was the founder of three biotechnology ventures and sat on the boards of many others.
He was a teacher and a role model who trained a large cadre of postdoctoral fellows who are now in leadership roles in all of the abovementioned disciplines all over the world.
Edgington liked to talk. He couldn't say hello' in fewer than 10 minutes. He was a storyteller. He loved to tell his postdocs who complained about struggling to get an experiment to work that, when he was a postdoc, he had to chase sheep and goats around an East County farm. This was in order to catch, immunize and eventually collect blood samples so he could isolate, purify and fluoresceinate or radiolabel the antibodies he needed to perform the homegrown immunoassays that he created to do his research. He did it all with a twinkle in his eye.
Arguably, Edgington's greatest scientific achievement was the cloning of tissue factor and identifying the specific pathways it regulates in the coagulation system, which earned him a bevy of national and international awards, including the Presidency of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and election into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, now known as the National Academy of Medicine. His commitment to full-time basic scientific research, the training of dozens of research fellows, and his collegiality with scientific colleagues and competitors alike was legendary.
Edgington was a fourth-generation Californian, a hard-working only child of hard-working parents. His intellect, engineering skills and academic achievements were rewarded by recruitment to Stanford University for his undergraduate and medical studies. After graduation, he worked on an early form of the heart-lung machine at the University of Pennsylvania. After postgraduate training in Pathology at UCLA, he joined the faculty as Director of Clinical Pathology and became a member of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission studying the long-term impact of radiation on survivors of the atomic bomb.
Edgington's first wife and the mother of his children, Joanne Edgington, predeceased him after 50 years of marriage. He is survived by his daughter Kassy Perry, a life sciences public relations consultant; son Scott Edgington, a businessman; four grandchildren; and second wife Sandra Edgington.
Edgington loved life and lived it well. He will live long in the minds and hearts of his family, his many friends and colleagues, and the more than 70 postdoctoral fellows he trained.
Edgington, Thomas
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
27/01/2026
ANI, India's leading news agency and a major content provider across the Asia Pacific region, today announced a significant expansion of its long standing p...
27/01/2026
Independent analysis confirms faster encoding, lower CPU usage, and improved perceptual quality compared to CBR and CRF
VisualOn, a leader in multimedia playba...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
When It Feels Real, Is It Still a Lie? The Art of Sarah' ...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
That Night premiering on Netflix March 13
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DOWNLOAD THE KEY ART
DOWNLO...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Revealed the Future of Mexican Stories Coming in 2026
Entertainment
27 January 2026
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
Among t...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
Four New Japan Titles Announced for 2026: Viral Hit', On...
27/01/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix from Japan: Expanding the Possibili...
27/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
NAIDOC launches 2026 theme 50 Years of Deadly , marks major milestone
25 January, 2026
Media releases
The National NAIDOC Committee has today unveiled its...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
26/01/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) today announced an exclusive partnership with Nu Studio, the company behind the first modular, portable studio designed for immersi...
26/01/2026
OpenDrives, the leader in high-end video data management and workflow solutions, today announced an add-on investment to its previous funding rounds, led by IAG...
26/01/2026
SmallHD today announced a major update to its award-winning PageOS software, introducing Fleet Control, Portrait Mode, expanded Camera Control features, and Dow...
26/01/2026
Whether rigging a PTZ on a truss, sliding a Blackmagic camera across a mezzanine railing, or capturing the mayhem from inside a drum, Filipic delivers visuals t...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
Thomas Scott Edgington - Polymath, Colleague, Mentor, Friend 
