From Bretonneau to therapeutic antibodies, from specificity to specific remedies, Saint-Cyr-Sur-Loire, France, November 19, 2012

Abstract

Held on November 19, 2012 in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, France, the symposium “From Bretonneau to therapeutic antibodies, from specificity to specific remedies” focused on the historical development of antibodies as therapeutics, with an emphasis on the seminal work of the French physician Pierre-Fidèle Bretonneau (1778–1862). The morning session was devoted to discussion of the evolution of the concept of specificity in medicine, which started with an epistemological definition. The contributions of Bretonneau to the emergence of the concept of specificity, notably with his studies on diphtheria, and the subsequent development of antidiphtheric serotherapy in Europe during the period 1894–1898 were then presented in detail. The afternoon session began with a presentation on the role of French physiologists during the years 1860–1890 in establishing the basic concepts of specific immunity and the principles of serotherapy. The history of antivenom serotherapy, particularly its discovery by Césaire Phisalix, and the development of antilymphocyte globulins as successful transplantation drugs were then discussed. The symposium ended with the inauguration of a stele representing Bretonneau, who lived in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire and died 150 y ago.

Keywords: :

• immunospecificity history
• serotherapy history
• Bretonneau
• Pierre (1778-1862)
• history of medicine
• 19th century and 20th century

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest was disclosed.

Acknowledgments

This event has been supported by the French Higher Education and Research ministry under the program “Investissements d’avenir” Grant Agreement: LabEx MAbImprove ANR-10-LABX-53–01. The authors wish to thank each of the speakers who participated in the congress and who kindly reviewed the summary of their contribution. The authors are grateful to the Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire council for welcoming us during this congress, especially Jean-Yves Couteau and his members of staff, as well as Prof. Marc de Ferrière and Mélanie Fauconnier.

Notes

† CM and RN equally contributed to the writing