Mirko Beljanski (27 March 1923 – 27 October 1998) was a French-Serbian molecular biologist who studied bacteria, its resistance to antibiotics and the interaction of

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

and DNA. He performed research at the

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 ...

and also the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...

, discovering

reverse transcriptase A reverse transcriptase (RT) is an enzyme used to generate complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template, a process termed reverse transcription. Reverse transcriptases are used by viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B to replicate their genomes, ...

in bacteria in 1971. His later research focused on therapeutic concepts, anticancer and antiviral remedies.

Early life and education

Beljanski was born in 1923 in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. His father was an iron worker, his mother a seamstress, and had two older sisters. He attended

lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...

while living with an uncle. After World War II, he received educational offers from the Yugoslavian government to study in either Moscow or Paris. He decided to study in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where he met and married Monique Lucas, daughter of René Lucas and granddaughter of Pauline Ramart. He received a PhD in 1948 from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and began working at the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

as a researcher in molecular biology.

Career

While at the Pasteur Institute, Beljanski's early research focused on the study of the origin of bacterial resistance to streptomycin. During this time he studied the interaction of RNA and DNA and the resistance of bacterial strains to antibiotics. He published several articles on how bacteria accumulated RNAs during the acquisition of resistance to different antibiotics. In 1951, the grant Beljanski was working under expired but he was allowed to stay in France to continue his research. He worked at the Institute with Michel Macheboeuf, but left in 1953 upon the death of Macheboeuf. He joined the

where he continued his research. Beljanski returned to the Pasteur Institute in 1959 where he worked alongside his wife Monique and under

Jacques Monod Jacques Lucien Monod (February 9, 1910 – May 31, 1976) was a French biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965, sharing it with François Jacob and André Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of en ...

, the new head of the Pasteur Institute. In 1971, Beljanski discovered

in bacteria. This was part of a larger research on DNA and RNA that led him to oppose the

central dogma of molecular biology The central dogma of molecular biology is an explanation of the flow of genetic information within a biological system. It is often stated as "DNA makes RNA, and RNA makes protein", although this is not its original meaning. It was first stated by ...

promoted by

, head of the Pasteur Institute. After he pursued his work against the advice of the Institute, Beljanski was made to leave in 1978, but still continued to publish scientific papers. He also obtained patents. While at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Beljanski focused his research on radiation protection. Beljanski believed he had found antivirals effective against cancer and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. A product made of ''flavopereirin'', extracted from the Brazilian Pao pereira tree and called PB100 was claimed to be superior to

AZT Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent mother-to-child ...

, which Beljanski called "real poison". Another molecule was

rauvolfia vomitoria ''Rauvolfia vomitoria'', the poison devil's-pepper, is a plant species in the genus ''Rauvolfia''. It is native from Senegal east to Sudan and Tanzania, south to Angola; and naturalized in China, Bangladesh, different ranges of Himalayan and P ...

's alstonine. After his mandatory retirement in 1988, Beljanski opened a research center in

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. In 1994, Beljanski was charged with illicit practice of medicine, later being found not guilty of the charges. He was subsequently charged by the French Department of Health for the illicit practice of pharmacy in 1995, but died in 1998 before the case was heard in court. During this time, French President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

received treatment for prostate cancer which included the use of Beljanski's products. In 1996, Beljanski's laboratory was seized after the death of Mitterrand. In 2002, the

European court of human rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

ruled that the length of a second criminal investigation had been excessive and made a financial award to his widow.

Death and legacy

Beljanski died from cancer in Paris on 27 October 1998. A namesake foundation was launched for Beljanski in 1999. The Foundation, with a branch in the United States focuses on environmental toxins and is based on the research of Beljanski.

Publications

References

External links