By Katie Shire and Y. John Wang
Steve Shire, beloved husband, father, friend, and scientist sadly passed away at his home in Emerald Hills, California, in the early morning of June 18, 2017, Father’s Day. He is survived by his wife, Maria, daughter Katie, and son Joseph.
Shire was born in New York City to Joseph and Ola Shire, their only child, on February 9, 1947. When Shire was at the very young age of 10, his father passed away, making him the man of the house. His mother went back to work assembling watches to keep the family afloat. Despite these hardships, Steve continued to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a chemist, an idea that had been inspired and encouraged by his late father.
In 1968 Steve received his Bachelor of Science from Stony Brook University, New York. He then enrolled in Indiana University at Bloomington where in 1974 he received his doctorate in chemical physics. Shire did his postdoctoral training at the University of Connecticut, and upon completion, began his career at Genentech as a research scientist in the Department of Protein Chemistry. He was involved in the early work to isolate heterologous recombinant proteins expressed in bacterial systems. This led to the granting of a patent and served as the basis for further product development of proteins expressed in bacterial systems. During his tenure in the Protein Chemistry Department, he used numerous physicochemical techniques to characterize Genentech proteins at various stages of development. He then joined the newly created Pharmaceutical R&D Department at Genentech, where he made enormous contributions to the development of protein formulation and delivery. In 1985 he brought in the analytical ultracentrifuge, making this one of the first labs of its kind in the biotech industry. He has been responsible for leading activities for a variety of recombinant human proteins including Pulmozyme and Xolair. Over the years, Shire achieved over 10 patents, many of which have been cited in countless papers across the field.
In addition to his contributions at Genentech, Shire was also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC), University of Kansas, and the University of Connecticut. He also served as an advisory member for the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. Shire was very active with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), where he was designated an AAPS Fellow, elected to the chair of the Biotechnology section in 1998, and to the Executive Council in 2001.
After 32 years at Genentech, now a Roche company, Dr. Shire retired in 2013 as a staff scientist, one of the most esteemed positions within the organization. Throughout his career, Shire published more than 90 reviews and original research papers dealing with various aspects of formulation and pharmaceutical development of therapeutic proteins. After his retirement, he continued his endeavor and devotion to protein formulation, and in 2015 he published a single authored book, Monoclonal Antibodies, Meeting the Challenges in Manufacturing, Formulation, Delivery and Stability of Final Drug Product, with Elsevier.
A kind and good man, with a knack for storytelling and a love for science, photography, sports, and movies, Shire pursued his passions with the utmost vigor. In addition to these passions, Shire’s family will also remember him for being the true fighter that he was, defying all odds and medical issues for years. He was very proud to see his book published and watch both his children walk across the stage to receive their graduate degrees. In his final days, Shire celebrated his 70th birthday, Maria’s most recent birthday in June, as well as their 32nd wedding anniversary 3 days before his passing, and finally his very last Father’s Day.