Professor Jean-Louis Mandel, winner of the Kavli 2022 Prize

Congratulations to the French geneticist Jean-Louis Mandel, professor of Genetics at the University of Strasbourg and professor at Collège de France awarded with the Kavli Prize 2022.

He was honored by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters along with ten other awardees for his research in neuroscience.
Born in Strasbourg and still living there, he discovered an unusual mutation in the gene of the X chromosome, the so-called fragile X syndrome in 1991. This rare genetic disorder is responsible for an inherited form of intellectual disability and autism. In the X-chromosomes, a DNA part expands within a gene called “FMR1”, producing a mutation that causes fragile X syndrome. The FMR1 gene is essential for the proper functioning of the brain. In France, an estimated 12,000 people are affected by this condition.
The works of Professor Mandel and his team made it possible to establish a diagnosis and take care of the patients. There is no cure for the fragile X syndrome, but patients now benefit from medical treatments which improve their quality of life. Hyperactivity, attention disorders or anxiety can be treated by medication with more or less success. Paramedical approaches such as physiotherapy, speech therapy as well as occupational therapy have proven to be useful. Behavioral therapies are also very effective.
Jean-Louis Mandel is still very active in the genetic research. He has already promised to donate money earned with the prize to the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch-Graffenstaden.

Many thanks to Professor Mandel!