In memoriam: William S. Sly

William S. Sly, professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, died Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the age of 92. He served on the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Council in 2005 and 2006 and was an ASBMB member for 35 years.

William S. Sly

Born on October 19, 1932, in East St. Louis, Illinois, Sly earned his undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University in 1953 and his M.D. from the School of Medicine in 1957. He trained in internal medicine at Washington University in St. Louis and conducted research at the National Institute of Health laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland; Madison, Wisconsin; and Paris. He served as head of the division of medical genetics at Wash U for 20 years before returning to his alma mater to become the Alice A. Doisy professor and chairman of the Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He chaired the department for 26 years.

In 2007, Sly was named the inaugural recipient of the James B. and Joan C. Peter endowed chair in biochemistry and molecular biology. Sly retired from SLU in 2014 and was named an emeritus professor. 

Sly is best known for work on mucopolysaccharidosis type VII MPS-VII, a rare genetic disorder characterized by bone defects, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities and premature death. Sly identified the first patient with this disorder and helped develop the first lifesaving Federal Drug Administration–approved enzyme replacement treatment. In recognition of his contributions to the understanding of this condition, it is now referred to as Sly syndrome.

Sly won numerous awards during his career, including the Passano Award; Coriell Medal; Peter H. Raven Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Science of Saint Louis; Distinguished Scientist Award from the Clinical Ligand Assay Society; and the Life for MPS award from the International MPS Network. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 2011, Sly received the Association of American Medical Colleges' Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences for his outstanding clinical and laboratory research.

In 2021, a mentee and colleague of Sly, Abdul Waheed, emeritus research professor of biochemistry at SLU, gave $1 million to the department of biochemistry in honor of Sly. To recognize Waheed’s gift, the William S. Sly Centennial Chair was established.

“When I came to SLU, Dr. Sly became a trusted mentor, and I am proud to honor his legacy through a bequest,” said Waheed at the time he made his gift in a SLU press release. “Celebrating the 100th year of the department by supporting an endowed chair and simultaneously recognizing Dr. Sly is a rewarding experience and essential for the future of research.”

Sly is survived by his wife of 64 years, Peggy Sly, seven children, 26 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.