JÉRÔME LEJEUNE a giant amongst scientists
Image source: Fondation Jérôme Lejeune
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érôme Lejeune was born on 13 June 1926 in Inpayingtributetohiswork,DrCharles-JEp MontrougenearParis.Hestudiedatthe- Uni stein,Profes sorof PaediatricsattheUniversityof versityof ParisandreceivedadoctorateinCalifornia, medicine said:“Lejeunebasicallyopenedupthe in195and 1 insciencein196At 0. 31-years-of-age wholescientificfieldof whatyoumightcallclinical hewonworldacclaimwhenheidentifiedthe cytogenetics cause –thefieldthatdealswithgenetic disor of Downsyndrome,thefirstchromosomaldisease dersresultingfromdizerenttypesof chromosom discovered in man (1958 and 1959). During his abnormalities.” career he went on to discover the origin of many Fromthetimeof hisdiscov ery,JérômeLejeune other chromosomal diseases (such as the Cri remained du a passionate advocate of humane care for Chatsyndrome). people with Down syndrome, the most common AtthetimethatLejeuneshowedthatthecellscause of of lowered intelligence (about one in every peoplewithDownsyndromecontain47chromo 800-1babiesisbornwiththedisability). somes,onemorethantheusualhumancomplementAswellashisworkatParisDescartesUniversity, of 46, he was working at the Centre National de heranadepartmentattheInstituteof Geneticsand la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), a government theHospitalforSickChildreninPariswherehedid funded body which had several thousand research muchof hispioneeringworkinclinicalcytogene ersworkinginmanydizerentdisciplines. S PR I NG 2 0 22
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