Laudatio Máximo E. Drets

Lejeune in Paris. The Laboratory of Human Cytogenetics, which he initiated at the Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, was not only the cradle of many substantial scientific contributions but also a creative environment where young Uruguayan and regional scientists were trained and inspired by Máximo. In 1971 Máximo developed a research stay as Associate Professor at the M. D. Anderson Tumor Institute in Houston, with Prof. Margery Shaw, to study the human chromosome structure. As an outcome, the first complete description of human G-bands, which deeply conTo congratulate and thank Máximo for all his contributions to Uruguayan and Latin American Science, colleagues and former students have enthusiastically joined efforts and written original articles to dedicate this special volume of Cytogenetic and Genome Research to him on his 80th birthday. Máximo Drets developed his very first steps in scientific research under the guidance of Prof. Francisco A. Sáez, a prominent South American cytogeneticist who was crucial for the progress of the field in the region. Initially, he investigated together with Sáez at the Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas in Montevideo. His work was pioneering in the field of orthopteran cytogenetics with paramount publications following. In 1954 he travelled to Porto Alegre to learn Drosophila genetics with the prestigious researcher, Prof. Antonio R. Cordeiro. One of us, at that time, (FMS) was a young investigator at Prof. Cordeiro’s lab and vividly remembers not only sharing the experimental work with Máximo but also the apprehension due to the political unrest Brazil was experiencing in those days. Máximo very early showed his talents and deep interest in microscopy, optics, photography and scientific instrumentation, developing new methodological approaches in cytophotometry. At the same time, he continued his studies at the University of the Republic, becoming both medical doctor and biologist. In the mid sixties, Máximo entered the field of human cytogenetics and firmly started investigations on this topic in Uruguay, after developing a stay with Jerôme Published online: May 27, 2010