Professor University Montpellier 2, Institute of Human Genetics CNRS-UPR1142
Founder and Director of IMGT®, the international ImMunoGeneTics information system®
Marie-Paule Lefranc is Professor Classe Exceptionnelle at the University Montpellier 2, Senior Member of the University Institute of France. She is Founder and Director of IMGT®, the international ImMunoGeneTics information system®, http://www.imgt.org, that she created in 1989, at Montpellier, France. She is Head of the Laboratoire d’ImmunoGénétique Moléculaire, created with Prof. Gérard Lefranc and located, since 1998, at the Institute of Human Genetics (CNRS-UPR1142). She has authored over 300 scientific publications in international journals on the molecular immunogenetics of immunoglobulins, T cell receptors, antibody engineering, and on human genetics and immunoinformatics. Three of her major contributions are: firstly, the finding of large chromosomal deletions which encompass several immunoglobulin genes and account for the simultaneous absence of IgG1, IgG2, IgG4 and IgA1 isotypes in healthy individuals, allowing the overall ordering of the human immunoglobulin constant genes; secondly, the full characterization of the human T cell receptor gamma locus, for which she received the ROSEN prize of Cancerology in 1988; thirdly, the definition of the IMGT Scientific chart rules and IMGT-ONTOLOGY concepts, which are the foundations of IMGT® which has become the global reference in immunogenetics and immunoinformatics.
