André Capron

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André Capron (born December 30, 1930 in Lens (Pas-de-Calais) ; † January 10, 2020 ) was a French doctor ( parasitology , immunology ).

Life

From 1970 to 2000 Capron was Professor of Immunology at Lille University and Head of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine there. He was Honorary Director of the Pasteur Institute in Lille.

Capron was a pioneer in the immunology of parasites and researched in particular schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis). He was director of the WHO schistosomiasis program .

In the 1960s, he discovered a common antigen structure in parasitic worms and their hosts using methods of immune electrophoresis . These discoveries led to the concept of the molecular mimicry of parasites (with Ray Damian). He developed immunological techniques for diagnosing parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis. He demonstrated the production of immunosuppressive substances in schistosomiasis. He and his group succeeded in developing a vaccine against schistosomiasis, which was in clinical testing from 1998.

Capron showed the role of immunoglobulin E in the defense against parasites and discovered new cytotoxic defense mechanisms of macrophages against parasites.

From 1999 to 2002 he was the head of the French National AIDS and Hepatitis Research Society (ANRS) and from 1987 to 1991 he was President of the Scientific Council of INSERM ( Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale ). From 1988 he was a member of the Institut de France . From 2001 he was on the scientific council of the École normal supérieure .

He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences ( Académie des sciences ) and was its secretary for international affairs from 2003 to 2007. He was an honorary member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences and an honorary doctorate from the Universities of Brussels and Ghent. He was an honorary member of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1985) and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences . Capron was from 1990 commander of the French national order of merit ( Ordre national du Mérite ) and officer of the Legion of Honor (2007). He received the Bernhard Nocht Medal , the Prix ​​Richard Lounsbery (1986) and the Prix Leveau of the Académie nationale de Médecine (1959), of which he was a member.

In 1990 he received the König Faisal Prize in Medicine with Anthony Butterworth .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry at whoswho.fr accessed on January 15, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Capron, André
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French medic
DATE OF BIRTH December 30, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Lens (Pas-de-Calais)
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 2020