Alain Fischer (born 11 September 1949 in Paris) is a doctor, professor of

pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...

and French researcher in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Biography

Alain Fischer's father had wanted to become a doctor, but had been prevented from doing so by the numerous clauses established against the Jews of Hungary. Alain Fischer says his father was one of the reasons he has made a medical career choice. Fischer obtained his medical degree in 1979, and worked with Claude Griscelli at the Neckers-Enfants Malade Hospital. He became Professor of Immunology (PU-PH) at the University of Paris Descartes, and then Director of the Inserm unit, "Normal and pathological development of the immune system", in 1991. He was Head of the Pediatric Immunology and Hematology Unit (UIH) at Necker Hospital from 1996 to 2012.Alain Fischer, médecin et professeur en immunologie pédiatrique, est nommé titulaire de la chaire Médecine expérimentale . Leçon inaugurale, le jeudi 15 mai 2014 à 18h00
, communiqué du Collège de France Fischer was elected in November 2002 as a full member of the French Academy of sciences, and was a member of the National Consultative Ethics Committee from 2005 to 2009. In 2007, he was one of the founding members of the Imagine Institute of Genetic Diseases. In 2008, he received the Inserm Grand Prize for his work.
sur le site du ''

Nouvel Observateur (), previously known as (1964–2014), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation. Its current editor is Cécil ...

'' le 2 décembre 2008. On 5 May 2011, Alain Fischer was elected a full member of the

French Academy of Medicine French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. In July 2011, he joined

Martine Aubry Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...

's campaign team for the 2012 presidential election, working with Jean Mallot and Brigitte Dormont on the theme "Health and Social Security". Alain Fischer has held the chair of experimental medicine at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...

since 15 May 2014, the date of his inaugural lecture. He is a member of the Scientific Council of the IRIS Association.

Scientific contribution

Alain Fischer's work has been focused for years on

immunodeficiency Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromisation, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that a ...

acquired from birth (such as bubble babies) and curative approaches using gene therapies. With Marina Cavazzana-Calvo and Salima Hacein-Bey, he obtained in 1999, the first clinical successes in the world of gene therapies for about ten bubble children, two of whom unfortunately developed leukaemias after a few months, one of whom had died. The test was stopped urgently in 2002. Research will show that these leukaemias are due to random insertion into a

proto-oncogene An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, these genes are often mutated, or expressed at high levels.

of the drug gene. The trial is restarted in 2004, according to a modified protocol using better

retroviral A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell. Once inside the host cell's cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase e ...

vectors, and will be stopped again in 2005 due to new complications. However, of the 16 children treated to date, 15 are satisfactorily cured of their acute immune deficiency.

Awards and honours

* 1984: Bernard Halpern Prize * 1998: Chevalier of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

* 2001: co-winner of the

Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine Established in 1986, the Louis-Jeantet Prizes are funded by the ''Fondation Louis-Jeantet'' and awarded each year to experienced researchers who have distinguished themselves in the field of biomedical research in one of the member states of t ...

* 2008: Grand Prix de l' Inserm * 2015:

Japan Prize is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind." The P ...

* 2017: Commandeur of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Décret du 30 décembre 2017 portant élévation aux dignités de grand'croix et de grand Officier
('' Legifrance'', 31 décembre 2017) (Chevalier in 2001, officier in 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Alain 1949 births Physicians from Paris French immunologists French biologists Inserm Members of the French Academy of Sciences Living people Academic staff of Paris Descartes University