On Apr. 14, 1993, the Earl Davie/ZymoGenetics Endowed Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Washington was established with a $2 million gift to the UW by ZymoGenetics and its parent company Novo Nordisk of Denmark. The first chair created by a biotechnology company recognizes Davie’s breakthroughs in discovering and genetically engineering blood clotting factors.

Dr. Davie earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry at the University of Washington (UW) in 1950 and completed a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at UW in 1954 working with Dr. Hans Neurath. He then pursued post-doctoral studies at Harvard. In 1956, he moved to Cleveland and conducted blood protein research as a faculty member at what was then Western Reserve University. In 1962, Davie was recruited by his alma mater to develop for the University of Washington Medical School one of the largest research programs in biochemistry.

From 1975 to 1984, Dr. Davie held the position of Chairman of the UW Department of Biochemistry. There, he developed the novel genetic engineering technique of using of recombinant DNA for studying gene mechanisms, which subsequently provided the basis for other significant biotechnology research throughout the world. Dr. Davie’s laboratory at the UW went on to characterize numerous coagulation reactions and to determine the sequences of the proteins involved and the genes that encode them. His techniques led to the founding of Zymogenetics (acquired by Novo Nordisk), one of the first biotechnology companies in Seattle. His pivotal discoveries in the intricacies of the blood-clotting cascade brought about treatments for many blood-clotting disorders, improving and saving millions of lives.