Alice Shih-hou Huang's discovery of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that allows viruses to convert their genetic material into DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)--the molecular basis of heredity--led to a major breakthrough in understanding how viruses function. Searching for clues on how to prevent viruses from replicating, Huang also isolated a rabies-like virus that produced mutant strains that interfered with viral growth.

The youngest of four children, Huang was born in Kiangsi, China, on March 22, 1939. Her father, the Right Reverend Quentin K. Y. Huang, was the second Chinese bishop ordained by the Anglican Episcopal Ministry in China. Her mother, Grace Betty Soong Huang, undertook a career of her own by entering nursing school at the age of forty-five. In 1949, when communism pervaded China, the Huangs sent their children to the United States, hoping for a more stable life and greater opportunities.

Huang was ten years old when she arrived in...