Doctor Ernst H. Beutner
August 27, 1923 - June 10th, 2013

Curriculum Vitae

Ernst H. Beutner
Department of Microbiology
University of Buffalo SUNY
Buffalo, New York 14214

Dr. Beutner was a resident of the Western New York community for over 5 decades. Dr. Beutner served as a faculty in the University at Buffalo department of Microbiology and Immunology for over 40 years. He taught microbiology to the students of medicine and dentistry, pioneered research in immunodermatology and his research group discovered the autoantibodies that cause pemphigus (over 95% fatality rate if untreated) and pemphigoid (10% to 40% fatality rate if untreated). He developed reproducible diagnostic methods for detecting the pathogenic autoantibodies that cause these diseases. Laboratory test based on these methods are being used worldwide to diagnose these chronic, debilitating diseases. He has been honored with may prestigious awards for these important contributions to dermatology.

Obituary & Condolences

Guestbook | Obituary

TrainingTop

Degrees	Years	Schools
B.A.	1947	Pennsylvania State University
Ph.D.	1951	University of Pennsylvania

Board Certifications	Date	Certification No.
American Board of Medical Microbiology	1975	587
American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology	1979	1
American Board of Bioanalysis	1983	5345

Research Experience and InterestsTop

Years:	Schools (or Laboratories); Positions and Superiors; Areas of Interest
1956 - Present	Professor of Microbiology (U of B) - University at Buffalo, SUNY, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Beutner's responsibilities at the University consist primarily of teaching microbiology to students of medicine and dentistry, and occasionally to student nurses and medical technologists. He is best known for his discoveries on the immunopathologic mechanisms which underlie pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. He elaborated the now generally accepted procedures and concepts for the quantitative immunochemical definition of anti-globulin conjugates and procedures for immunofluorescent studies in immunopathology. His initial studies of immunopathology, under the direction of the late Dr. Ernest Witebsky, dealt with experimental thyroiditis and allergic encephalomyelitis. These yield the first immunofluorescent demonstrations of the thyroid colloid localization of thyroglobulin antibodies and of the myelin sheath localization of antibodies found in allergic encephalomyelitis. Dr. Beutner and his associates introduced the use of the indirect immunofluorescence, passive hemagglutination and precipitation technique for the detection of the muscle antibodies associated with myasthenia gravis. He was also the first to report the performance of ANA tests by complement immunofluorescence, the presence of immunoglobulin complexes in the cells lining the sinusoids of the liver and the failure of ANA to fix to intact nuclei of living cells. Dr. Beutner and his associates characterized the immunofluorescent reactions of stratum corneum autoantibodies which occur in all adult sera and investigated their role in health and disease. Probably his most important contributions are his life-long efforts to define and standardize labeled antibody techniques for microscopy.
1992 - Present	Director of Diagnostics of Beutner Laboratories, further research on the immunopathology of bullous and connective tissue diseases.
1971 - 1992	Director of Diagnostics and principal of the founders of IFT Diagnostics, Research on the immunopathology of bullous and connective tissue diseases.
1955 - 1956	Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA Position and Supervisor: Research Associate under Dr. Paul F. Munson Areas of Research: Continuation of studies on antimicrobial agents, Studies of pharmacologic action of parathyroid hormone; also bioassays of parathyroid hormones.
1951 - 1955	Sias Laboratories at the Brooks Hospital (a privately endowed research laboratory, Brookline, Massachusetts) Position and Supervisor: Research Supervisor under Dr. Howard E. Lind Areas of Research: Quantitation of antimicrobial susceptibility testing; experimental studies of in vivo actions of antimicrobial agents
1947 - 1951	University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA Position and Supervisor: Graduate Student of Dr. Stuart Mudd Areas of Research: Cytologic and cytochemical studies of bacterial anatomy (Bacillus megaterium and Escherichiacoli). Light and electron microscopic studies of bacteriophage infected bacteria (E. Coli).

Honors, Fellowships and Research - Teaching AbroadTop

Year	Institution	Distinction	Areas of Research or Distinction
1966, 1967	Escola Paulista de Medicina, Sao Pualo, Brazil	W.H.O. Visiting Professor at W.H.O. Immunology Research and Training Center. (Appointed Assistant Director in 1966)	Course on imminofluresence and immunohistology. Initiation of studies of Brazilian pemphigus
1967	Rocha Lima Prize Committee	Recipient of Rocha Lima Diploma and Medal	For studies on the immunopathology of Brazilian pemphigus
1968	Warsaw Academy of Dermatology	Honorary Member	For studies on the immunopathology of pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid
1973	Austrian Dermatological Society	Honorary Member	(Same)
1977	American Academy of Microbiology	Fellow
1979	Lambda Lambda Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon	Honorary Member
1979	American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology	Diplomat
1984	The College of Physicians of Philadelphia	Fellow
1989	European Academy of Dermatology	The Vincenzo Chiarugi Award	For studies on Immunopathology of the Skin
1992	American Dermatologic Association	Honorary Member	For studies on Immunopathology of the Skin
1993	University of Trondheim, Trondheim, Norway	Dr. Honoris Causa	Bullous disease studies
1996	History of Dermatology Society	Samuel J. Zakon Prize	Tuberculosis of the skin
1999	American Skin Association	Inflammatory Skin Disorders Research Award	Autoimmunity in pemphigus and pemphigoid
2003	American Society of Dermatopathology	Founders' Award	Founding field of Immunodermatology
2006	Austrian Dermatology Society	Gold Medal Award	Continuing studies of Immunodermatology

Note: Dr. Beutner serves as Secretary General both for a congress of the New York Academy of Science in Stockholm in 1971 on "Defined immunofluorescent staining" (the first international congress to be sponsored for an Annal of the NY Academy of Science in its 154th year history) and for another congress of the NY Academy of Science on "Defined Immunofluorescence and related Cytochemical Methods" in Niagara Falls, NY in 1982.

Citation ClassicsTop

The following publications have been selected as "Citation Classics" because of the frequency with which they are cited in the literature.

Publications	Designated as Citation Classic by:
Beutner, E.H. & Jordon, R.E. (1964) Demonstration of Skin Antibodies in Sera of Pemphigus Vulgaris Patients by Indirect Immunofluorescent Staining. Proc Exptl Biol Med, 117, pp. 505-510	Science Citation Index
Beutner, E.H., Lever, W.F., Witebsky, E. Jordon, RE. & Chertock, B., (1965) Autoantibodies in Pemphigus Vulgaris, Response to an Intercellular Substance of the Epidermis. JAMA, 192, pp. 682-688	JAMA
Jordon, RE., Beutner, E.H. Witebsky E., Blumenthal B., Hale, W.L. & Lever, W.F. (1967) Basement Zone Antibodies in Bullous Pemphigoid. JAMA, 200, pp. 751-756	JAMA
Beutner, E.H., Jordon, R.E, & Chorzelski, T.P. (1968) The Immunopathology of Pemphigus and Bullous Pemphigoid. J. Invest Dermatol, 51, pp. 63-80	J. Invest Dermatol