Stanford Moore's work in protein chemistry greatly advanced understanding of the composition of enzymes, the complex proteins that serve as catalysts for countless biochemical processes. Moore's research focused on the relationship between the chemical structure of proteins, which are made up of strings of amino acids, and their biological action. In 1972 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry with longtime collaborator William Howard Stein for providing the first complete decoding of the chemical composition of an enzyme, ribonuclease (RNase). This discovery provided scientists with insight into cell activity and function, which has had important implications for medical research.

Moore was born on September 4, 1913, in Chicago, Illinois, but spent most of his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, where his father was a professor at Vanderbilt University's School of Law. In 1935, Moore earned a B.A. in chemistry from Vanderbilt. Moore continued his education in organic chemistry at the graduate...