«The quality of a civilization is measured by the respect it has for the weakest of its members»
Prof. Jérôme Lejeune
Jérôme Lejeune was born on June 13, 1926, in Montrouge, a suburb of Paris. After completing his medical studies, he began working in 1952 as a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research, where he built his career and became an international expert on atomic radiation.
A renowned scientist and internationally recognized physician, and the discoverer of Trisomy 21 as the cause of Down syndrome, Jérôme Lejeune is regarded as the father of modern genetics.
He worked tirelessly to secure recognition and treatment for conditions affecting intellectual development, wisely uniting science with conscience. His work led him to reflect on the great questions of human life and on the role that medicine and research must play in defending the most vulnerable.
In 1958, he discovered the first known chromosomal anomaly in humans: Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome. Later, together with his collaborators, he discovered the mechanisms of other chromosomal pathologies, such as Williams Beuren syndrome, Angelman syndrome, fragile X syndrome, or Rett syndrome, thus paving the way for cytogenetics and modern genetics.
In 1962, he was appointed as a WHO advisor as an expert in human genetics, with which he had been collaborating since 1951 due to his work on genetics and radiation.
In 1962, he received the Kennedy Prize for his discovery.
In 1964, he was appointed as the director of the National Center for Scientific Research and president of the first chair of Fundamental Genetics at the University of the Sorbonne.
In 1965, he was appointed as the head of the department of the same specialty at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in the French capital.
In 1969, he received the William Allan Award from the American Genetic Association.
In 1974, he was appointed as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
In 1982, he was appointed as a member of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.
In 1983, he was appointed as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
In 1994, he was appointed as the first lifetime president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
On January 21, 2021, he was declared Venerable by the Vatican and his beatification cause is currently in progress.
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