In memoriam: John Edmond
John Edmond, an emeritus professor of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, died Feb. 18 at age 85. He had been a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 1974.

Edmond was born Jan. 21, 1937, in the village of Fintry, in central Scotland. He went to Glasgow to earn his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. in chemistry, and spent some time as an assistant lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He studied lipids in a basic research lab at Shell Oil in England for several years before being recruited in 1968 to join the biological chemistry department at UCLA.
Edmond remained active in research for more than 30 years, studying developmental neurobiochemistry. He was interested in the need for nutrients to fuel rapid brain growth in newborns; his lab studied neonatal rats and cultured neurons and astrocytes to understand these nutritional demands. Later in his career, he studied the effects of carbon monoxide on the developing brain, demonstrating that even at levels that were then recognized as safe, the gas could permanently damage neurons and cause hearing loss.
"No task was too small to recruit his help," colleagues in his department recalled in an article they wrote about Edmond in March. His commitment to service encompassed years he spent volunteering in many capacities on the university's academic senate, including as chair, along with National Institutes of Health study sections and the editorial board of the Journal of Neuroscience Research.
Edmond is survived by his wife, Lorna; two children; and four grandchildren.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

Meet Robert Helsley
The Journal of Lipid Research junior associate editor studies chronic liver disease and was the first in his family to attend college.

Exploring life’s blueprint: Gene expression in development and evolution
Meet Julia Zeitlinger and David Arnosti — two co-chairs of the ASBMB’s 2025 meeting on gene expression, to be held June 26-29, in Kansas City, Missouri.

ASBMB names 2025 fellows
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology honors 24 members for their service to the society and accomplishments in research, education, mentorship, diversity and inclusion and advocacy.

When Batman meets Poison Ivy
Jessica Desamero had learned to love science communication by the time she was challenged to explain the role of DNA secondary structure in halting cancer cell growth to an 8th-grade level audience.

The monopoly defined: Who holds the power of science communication?
“At the official competition, out of 12 presenters, only two were from R2 institutions, and the other 10 were from R1 institutions. And just two had distinguishable non-American accents.”

In memoriam: Donald A. Bryant
He was a professor emeritus at Penn State University who discovered how cyanobacteria adapt to far-red light and was a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for over 35 years.