A TRIBUTE TO Professor Christian de Duve on his 90th birthday

Molecular Medicine is an appropriate stage for a tribute to Professor C. de Duve on his 90 birthday. Indeed, the work of Christian de Duve led to an explosion in cell biology, with the discovery of lysosomes and peroxisomes and of their function. From the deciphering of the physiopathology of lysosomes followed the first molecular explanation of an intracellular genetic disorder, Pompe’s glycogenosis, the prototype of lysosomal storage diseases. In turn, this basic knowledge paved the way to rational molecular medicine, with the first effective cure of another inborn lysosomal disorder, Gaucher’s disease, by replacement therapy with recombinant glucocerebrosidase, now a current practice. How did this story develop and what does the example of de Duve tell us? Christian de Duve was born in 1917 in the South of England, where his family had found refuge from the first invasion of Belgium by German troops in 1914. He grew up in the French-speaking upperclass atmosphere of Antwerp, an affluent city open to the world, while benefiting from a solid classical greco-latin education. No doubt this familial, cultural and educational background took a great part in fostering a rich blend of intellectual qualities: openmindedness with unlimited curiosity, dedication to hard work yet leaving due place for culture (de Duve is a talented pianist and a music lover), thorough quantitative analysis with uncompromising intellectual rigor, enterprising spirit with social responsibility, not to mention a unique style! Fascinated by experimental medicine and the example of Claude A TRIBUTE TO