Konrad Bloch was born in 1912 in Neisse, Germany. In 1934, he completed his studies at the Munich Technische Hochschule. After Hitler came to power in Germany, Bloch fled to Switzerland, and from there he moved to the United States. In 1938, he received his doctorate degree from Columbia University. Bloch served as a professor at the University of Chicago and at Harvard University.

In 1964, Konrad Bloch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for discoveries concerning the structure and regulation of cholesterol”.

In his research, Bloch determined the complex process by which the body produces cholesterol from acetic acid. His discoveries are of significant practical importance in developing efficient treatment for diseases such as arteriosclerosis that are related to the mechanisms that control levels of cholesterol in the blood.