In 1963,Purcell joined the U.S. Epidemic Intelligence Service where he investigated respiratory viruses and mycoplasma.[3] He then moved to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,where he rose to chief of the hepatitis viruses section of the Laboratory of Infectious Disease,and co-chief of the Laboratory of Infectious Disease with Brian R. Murphy.[2][4] He retired from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2013.[4]
Robert Purcell,Albert Kapikian,and Stephen Feinstone around an electron microscope
Purcell is known for his extensive work on hepatitis viruses. In 1972,he was involved in the group that developed the first animal model for hepatitis B.[4] In 1973,Purcell,Albert Kapikian,and Stephen Feinstone discovered and characterized hepatitis A virus.[4] In 1978,Purcell showed that hepatitis C virus is transmissible through blood,and that it remains in the body for life.[4] In the early 1980s,Purcell's group discovered a fourth hepatitis virus,hepatitis D virus.[4] In the 1990s,they discovered Hepatitis E virus.[4] Purcell also helped to develop the first licensed vaccine against hepatitis A virus,and was also involved in developing a vaccine against hepatitis B and D viruses,and a vaccine candidate for protection from hepatitis E virus.[4]
The same team who co-identified the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) developed the first assays that could measure the virus antigen and antibody,and using those assays,the group along with Harvey J. Alter demonstrated through the serologic exclusion of Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B that a third,previously unrecognised form of viral hepatitis existed,originally named non-A,non-B hepatitis (NANBH). Michael Houghton's laboratory at Chiron Corporation ultimately identified the agent associated with NANBH,now known as Hepatitis C,in 1989.
Notable publications
Farci T,Shimoda A... Purcell RH (1996). Prevention of hepatitis C virus infection in chimpanzees by hyperimmune serum against the hypervariable region 1 of the envelope 2 protein. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 93(26):pgs. 15394-15399
Farci P,Alter HJ... Purcell RH (1992). Lack of protective immunity against reinfection with hepatitis C virus. Science. 258(5079):pgs. 135-140
Ogata N,Alter HJ... Purcell RH (1991). Nucleotide sequence and mutation rate of the H strain of hepatitis C virus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 88(8):pgs. 3392-3396
Farci P,Alter HJ... Purcell RH (1991). A long-term study of hepatitis C virus replication in non-A,non-B hepatitis. New England Journal of Medicine. 325(2):pgs. 98-104
Miller RH,Purcell RH (1990). Hepatitis C virus shares amino acid sequence similarity with pestiviruses and flaviviruses as well as members of two plant virus supergroups. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 87(6):pgs. 2057-2061
Feinstone SM,Kapikian AZ,Purcell RH (1973). Hepatitis A:detection by immune electron microscopy of a viruslike antigen associated with illness. Science. 182(4116):pgs. 1026-1028
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