Ariel Hollinshead

Ariel Hollinshead was a pioneer in the field of cancer research. In the 1970s, she developed a unique type of vaccine for all four major types of lung cancer, and invented a low-frequency sound technique for isolating antigens from cell membranes. She is often considered to be “the mother of immunotherapy.” 

Hollinshead was born as Ariel Cahill on August 24, 1929 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She excelled in science in high school and went on to pursue her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College. There, she met her future husband, Montgomery Hyun (then going by "Montgomery Hollinshead"). They later raised two boys together. She transferred to Ohio University, where she earned her undergraduate degree. After college, Hollinshead received master’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacology at George Washington University in Washington D.C. She then completed postdoctoral research in epidemiology and virology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.  

In 1959, Hollinshead became a professor at George Washington University, teaching classes in pharmacology, virology, immunology, and oncology. She created the Laboratory for Virus and Cancer Research in 1964. Hollinshead began her career when few women, particularly mothers, decided to pursue fulltime scientific research. In an interview, she once remarked, "the life of a scientist is demanding, and there are often 12-hour work days...but I really enjoy what I do, and—after—what I hurry home to."   

Hollinshead’s early research focused on cancer vaccines. She invented methods using low-frequency ultrasound to isolate the immune-inducing element from tumor membrane fragments. This led to early clinical trials of cancer vaccines using tumor antigens in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, she used the same process to identify and test tumor antigens from women with ovarian cancer. Her pioneering work resulted in clinical trials. When the AIDS epidemic swept the country in the 1980s and 1990s, Hollinshead became involved in efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine.  

Among her many accomplishments, Hollinshead published more than 275 research articles, directed 17 clinical trials involving 19 forms of cancer, and was granted several patents. She was named Medical Woman of the Year by the Joint Board of American Medical Colleges in 1976. She was a member of many professional societies and was honored by President Carter in 1980 at the White House.  

Hollinshead died on September 10, 2019, at the age of 90. In addition to being a groundbreaking female scientist and inventor, she is also remembered for her joyful spirit.