Remembering Henri Isliker, Founding Scientific Committee Member
Dr. Henri Isliker
It is with regret that we report the passing of Professor Henri Isliker on August 1, 2007, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Professor Isliker, a highly recognized biochemist and tireless proponent for the advancement of biomedical sciences, was a founding member of LICR’s Scientific Advisory Committee.
Born in 1922 in Geneva, Professor Isliker graduated in 1948 with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Berne. From 1950 to 1955, he specialized in medicine and studied biophysics at Harvard University, earning his PhD from the University of Berne in 1957. Professor Isliker immediately went on to become a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Lausanne, and was promoted rapidly to Director of the Institute for Biochemistry at the University of Lausanne in 1962. He held this position until 1988.
Professor Isliker was recruited as one of four original members of the LICR Scientific Advisory Committee assembled by Mr. Ludwig. The founding committee consisted of: Dr. Henri Isliker who represented LICR within Switzerland; Dr. Hugh Butt who was Professor of Medicine at Mayo Medical School and served as the committee chairman; Dr. Carl Baker who was a past Director of the National Cancer Institute; and Dr. Lloyd J. Old, current Chairman of the Board and former Scientific Director.
Professor Isliker advocated successfully for the establishment of LICR’s second and now longest standing branch in Lausanne, which was opened in 1975 in collaboration with the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), the University of Lausanne (UNIL), the Policlinique Médicale Universitaire (PMU) and, later, the Centre Pluridisciplinaire d'Oncologie (CePO) located in the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV). The strategic partnerships that Professor Isliker helped to develop between LICR and these institutions created important collaborative opportunities for laboratory, translational and clinical scientists, as well as expanded their access to reagents and new technologies. This put LICR in the center of Lausanne’s scientific community, particularly in the area of immunology.
According to Mr. Palmer Baker, past LICR Chairman of the Board and former counsel to Mr. Ludwig, “Dr. Isliker had great skill for resolving problems that developed in establishing the Branch [Lausanne] and always in a statesman-like manner. He was well positioned at the heart of the Swiss research capability and in politically influential circles in Lausanne.” The other members of the Scientific Advisory Committee relied on Professor Isliker for advice on cancer research in Europe and the selection of sites for other European LICR Branches. His dedication helped the Lausanne Branch to develop into a leading site for immunology research, particularly cancer immunology, and to become an epicenter of cancer vaccine clinical research in Europe.
In addition to his involvement with LICR, Professor Isliker had a profound impact on the development of the European biomedical research community. According to one of his past students and close colleagues — and Founding Director of the LICR Lausanne Branch — Dr. Jean-Charles Cerottini, “Henri Isliker was a visionary who already understood, in the sixties, the need to establish in Lausanne an environment [in which] scientists from different parts of the world could work and grow together.” Professor Isliker pursued his vision by becoming a founding member and leader of several distinguished institutions, including the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Lausanne, the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), and the Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). He also managed the Lausanne Training Center of the World Health Organization (WHO) and was a member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. “Henri Isliker,” says Dr. Cerottini, “was truly a pioneer of the concept of public-private partnership in academic research.”
Dr. Isliker’s contributions were of great value to the foundation of LICR, and his devotion to the advancement of science was truly extraordinary. We extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
“Henri Isliker was an exceptional mentor and a close friend. He was always a source of inspiration and motivation to me. His contagious enthusiasm and optimism were remarkable. He was very generous with his time, giving encouragement and advice without reservation. He was a role model and it was a privilege to be his pupil.”
Jean-Charles Cerottini, M.D., Founding Director, LICR Lausanne Branch