Jules A. Hoffmann

Who is this?

Jules Alphonse Nicolas Hoffmann (French pronunciation: [ʒyl ɔfman]; born 2 August 1941) is a Luxembourgish-French biologist. During his youth, growing up in Luxembourg, he developed a strong interest in insects under the influence of his father, Jos Hoffmann. This eventually resulted in the younger Hoffmann's dedication to the field of biology using insects as model organisms. He currently holds a faculty position at the University of Strasbourg. He is a research director and member of the board of administrators of the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) in Strasbourg, France. He was elected to the positions of Vice-President (2005–2006) and President (2007–2008) of the French Academy of Sciences. Hoffmann and Bruce Beutler were jointly awarded a half share of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity". Hoffmann and Bruno Lemaitre discovered the function of the fruit fly Toll gene in innate immunity. Its mammalian homologs, the Toll-like receptors, were discovered by Beutler. Toll-like receptors identify constituents of other organisms like fungi and bacteria, and trigger an immune response, explaining, for example, how septic shock can be triggered by bacterial remains. In 2012, Hoffman was appointed as an Honorary Professor in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin.

Career

1. 1941
   Born
2. 1988
   Member of German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
3. 1992
   Member of French Academy of Sciences
4. 2007
   Won Balzan Prize
5. 2010
   Won Keio Medical Science Prize
6. 2011
   Won CNRS Gold medal
7. 2011
   Won Canada Gairdner International Award
8. 2012
   Member of Académie Française
9. 2012
   Won Officer of the Legion of Honour

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Echternach
• •Citizenship: France, Luxembourg
• •Known as: biologist, immunologist, physician, university teacher