Paul was born on March 18, 1936 in Lyndhurst, NJ to Paul and Rose (Pollara) Liberti. A Boys Nation representative his junior year and later valedictorian of his senior class at Lyndhurst High School in 1954, he went on to receive an A.B. in Chemistry from Columbia College in 1958, a M.S. in Biochemistry from Loyola University in 1962, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1966. In 1961, he married Raema Francis, and together they raised four children, Paul, Theodore, Roseanne, and Joseph, of whom he was immensely proud.
Dr. Liberti was exceptionally curious, entrepreneurial, and driven, which was repeatedly noted by his college and graduate school classmates, professional colleagues, many friends, and family. For every problem, there was a solution, and throughout his life he brought a spirit of inquiry to every issue and conversation. After completing his Ph. D., Paul completed a postdoctoral training program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In 1967, he began his career as a professor of Biochemistry and Immunology at Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. Paul Liberti’s laboratory was considered one of the Centers of Excellence in Immunochemistry. As a full professor at Jefferson Medical College, he established a large NIH/NSF funded research program on the physical chemistry of antigen-antibody reactions. Over the next 17 years, he became the principal investigator of this NIH funded program. He was also the director of an NIH funded postdoctoral program in Immunology for M.D. and Ph.D. candidates who fondly remember Paul’s ability to make the complex comprehensible.
Paul left academics to found Immunicon Corp in the mid-1980s, leading the company until 2000. Acquired in 2008 by Johnson & Johnson (J & J), Immunicon became a worldwide bio-magnetic firm. Led by Paul’s discoveries, inventions and management, Immunicon developed the detection and separation of circulating tumor cells, and brought to market the only FDA approved system for detecting circulating tumor cells in clinical samples (CELLSEARCH). In 2009, Paul was honored for his work with CELLSEARCH® when J & J subsidiary Veridex received the prestigious Prix Galien USA Award, considered to be the ‘Nobel’ of industrial technology.
In 2011, he co-founded BioMagnetic Solutions (BMS), where he developed a significantly superior immuno-magnetic cell selection system with applications in gene therapy product manufacturing.
Paul married Caroline Culley Stine in January 1999 and resided in: Alto, New Mexico; Naples, Florida; and Haverford, Pennsylvania. They enjoyed traveling, golfing, and entertaining friends and family.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Rose, his sister, Carmel, and brothers, Joseph and Theodore. He is survived by his wife Caroline Culley Liberti; his four children: Paul P. Liberti (Regina), Theodore L. Liberti (Janet), Roseanne Liberti (John Rison), Joseph F. Liberti (Rachel Estroff); eight grandchildren: Maria Liberti Szakos; Paul, John (Annika) and Louis Liberti; Claudia and Matthew Sessa; and Samuel and Isabella Estroff-Liberti, and two great-grandchildren: Laila Liberti and Ace Liberti; as well as, his dear sister and brother-in-law, Marietta and Peter Domanico, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews, all of whom he loved deeply.
The family will be establishing an endowed scholarship in Paul’s memory for students of color pursuing majors in chemistry or biochemistry at Penn State. Memorial contributions may be made to this scholarship in Paul’s honor. Checks may be made payable to “The Pennsylvania State University” and directed to 2583 Gateway Drive, Suite 130, State College, PA 16801. Please include ‘In memory of Paul A. Liberti’ in the memo line of your check.
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