Christian De Duve

Biography

Christian de Duve was a Belgian cytologist and biochemist known for his discoveries about the internal workings of cells. He won a share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 in recognition of his discoveries of two cell organelles, peroxisome and lysosome. His discoveries played a pivotal role in helping to unravel the biology of several genetic diseases. Born to Belgian refugees in Great Britain during the World War I, he returned to Belgium with his family when he was a toddler. As a young boy, he was more interested in the literary branches rather than science. As he grew up his interests shifted and he decided to study medicine at the Catholic University of Leuven. As a medical student, he also became involved in research at the physiology laboratory of Professor J. P. Bouckaert. With time, he became more focused on research and by the time he earned his MD he had given up the idea of practicing medicine. Instead he ventured into an academic career that offered ample scope for research. Christian de Duve specialized in subcellular biochemistry and cell biology and discovered new cell organelles. His work on cell fractionation provided an insight into the function of cell structures and working with a colleague, he confirmed the location of the hydrolytic enzymes (acid hydrolases) of lysosomes.

Research Interest

His rediscovery of glucagon and discoveries of lysosome and peroxisome helped understand the biology of Tay-Sachs disease along with several other genetic diseases.