Renaud Mahieux passed away on Wednesday, December 9 2020, following a relapse of a long illness and a new infection with Covid-19. He was 52 years old and was survived by his wife Mathilde and his two children Guillemette and Barthelemy.

Renaud’s scientific career began in 1991, at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where he completed his “Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies” (DEA) internship in Virology. It was then that he met Antoine Gessain, who had just returned from a post-doctoral internship at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and who welcomed him in the laboratory of Pr. Guy de Thé’s unit. This marked the beginning of a strong scientific journey culminating in great discoveries in the retrovirology field, and a solid friendship that never wavered. This opportunity was the first exposure of Renaud to the HTLV-1 research and traced the beginning of his scientific path.

Renaud obtained his Ph.D in 1997 in Microbiology—Molecular Virology at the University of Paris 6, under the supervision of Pr. Guy De Thé and Pr. Antoine Gessain. He focused on the genetic diversity of HTLV-1 and its related STLV-1 simian viruses. At that time, Renaud also participated with Antoine Gessain and Philippe Mauclère, a Virologist at the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, in one of the first missions of the unit, in the search of retroviral variants in village populations living in remote forest areas of southern Cameroon. During his stay in Guy de Thé's unit, Renaud met Dr. Mirdad Kazanji, who is currently Director of the Pasteur Institute in French Guyana, and became a close friend and colleague for many years. Subsequently, Renaud pursued his post-doctoral fellowship at NIH, in the laboratory of Dr. John Brady (NIH/NCI) and focused on the molecular biology of HTLV-1. His collaboration with Dr. Brady resulted in more than 20 research papers that addressed several molecular topics in HTLV-1 pathophysiology, encompassing the viral onconprotein Tax, the tumor suppressor protein p53, the NF-κB signaling pathway regulation and apoptosis in HTLV-1 infected cells. During his stay at the NIH, he worked closely with other colleagues in the field of HTLV-1, namely Drs. Steve Jacobson and Fatah Kashanchi, who became some of his lifelong and close colleagues and friends. After his postdoctoral position at the NIH, he returned to France where he fulfilled a position at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), as a Researcher in the Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Oncogenic Virus unit at the Pasteur Institute. Thereafter, Renaud continued his fruitful career with Pr. Gessain, after the retirement of Pr. Guy de Thé, and was instrumental in multiple exciting discoveries including the retrovirus HTLV-3, its zoonotic origin, and its molecular characteristics, the new simian viruses of the STLV-1 and STLV-3 types, and the understanding of the indeterminate HTLV serologies, which are very frequent in tropical areas. His brilliant scientific path was further marked by more than sixty publications, with his mentor and an NIH grant with Dr. Kashanchi on HTLV-3. It was also at this time, when he began to take part in teaching at the Pasteur Institute. Virology was indeed a topic he liked very much and he fully developed in Lyon.

In 2008, Renaud joined the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Lyon where he fulfilled a Professorial position. This marked the beginning of the second arm of his career where his passion to research and teaching were highlighted by the pursuit of quality research work in the field of HTLVs, and the development of a passionate teaching path in the field of Virology. In 2013, he became the head of the Biology Department of the ENS, after many accomplishments in a short period of time in ENS, reflecting his didactic and outstanding capacities. He indeed brought together a strong and dedicated teaching team, he developed scientific exchange programs with Japan and in particular with the team of Pr. Toshi Watanabe, he worked tirelessly with colleagues including Hélène Dutarte, and mentored talented students including Chloé Journo, who were inspired by his successful career, and are currently pursuing a similar brilliant path in the field of Retrovirology. Renaud earned an international recognition and became a world authority in retrovirology. He actively participated in the International Retrovirology Association (IRVA), of which he was secretary for many years. A testimony of his international networking was his relationship with Lebanon and a lifelong friendship with Pr. Ali Bazarbachi. Renaud visited Lebanon on numerous occasions where he presented research seminars, initiated research collaborations, was heavily involved in virology teaching, and served as member of Ph.D thesis committees.

Renaud was a world-class retrovirologist and co-authored more than 140 publications. He was invited as keynote speaker and chaired or co-chaired a large number of sessions at international meetings. He served on the editorial board and as reviewer for prestigious journals in the field of virology. Renaud had a warm and winning personality that fostered independence. People meeting him for the first time were often surprised to see how discreet and unpretentious he was. He spoke and wrote with great eloquence and precision, reflecting his hard work and clear thinking as a leader.

Renaud taught us that honesty, hard work, determination and optimism are the ingredients for great success in science and life. He was a beautiful soul, loyal in friendship, animated and expressing himself by a constant positive spirit. In discussing Renaud’s untimely death with Dr. Steve Jacobson of the NIH and many others in the field of HTLV-1 in recent past history, including Drs. Dale McFarlin, Pamela Rodgers-Johnson, Ralph Grassmann, John Brady, David Derse, Bill Harrington, Kuan-Teh (Teh) Jeang, Guy de Thé, Kazunari Yamaguchi, and Jean-Claude Vernant, he reminded us of the following inspiring passage:

“We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.”

John of Salisbury, 1159

Fatah Kashanchi.

Ali Bazarbachi.

Antoine Gessain.

The authors would like to thank members of the Mahieux lab, and other colleagues including Hélène Dutarte, Johan Van Weyenbergh, Steve Jacobson, Cynthia Masison, Olivier Hermine, Mirdad Kazanji, Hiba El Hajj, Monsef Benkirane, Genoveffa Franchini, and Remi Veneziano for their comments and support.

Affiliations

1. George Mason University, Manassas, VA, 20110, USA

   Fatah Kashanchi

2. American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

   Ali Bazarbachi

3. Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

   Antoine Gessain

Authors

1. Fatah KashanchiView author publications

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2. Ali BazarbachiView author publications

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3. Antoine GessainView author publications

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All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fatah Kashanchi.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Kashanchi, F., Bazarbachi, A. & Gessain, A. Memoriam for Renaud Mahieux. Retrovirology 18, 7 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-021-00551-7

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• Published: 17 March 2021

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-021-00551-7

中文翻译：

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纪念 Renaud Mahieux

Renaud Mahieux 在长期疾病复发和新感染 Covid-19 后于 2020 年 12 月 9 日星期三去世。他 52 岁，遗下妻子玛蒂尔德和两个孩子吉列梅特和巴泰勒米。

Renaud 的科学生涯始于 1991 年，在巴黎巴斯德研究所，他在那里完成了他在病毒学领域的“Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies”（DEA）实习。就在那时，他遇到了刚从美国国立卫生研究院 (NIH) 博士后实习回来的 Antoine Gessain，他在 Pr 的实验室迎接了​​他。Guy de Thé 的单位。这标志着强大的科学之旅的开始，最终在逆转录病毒学领域取得了重大发现，以及从未动摇的牢固友谊。这个机会是雷诺第一次接触 HTLV-1 研究，并追溯了他的科学道路的开端。

Renaud 于 1997 年在巴黎第六大学获得微生物学-分子病毒学博士学位，师从 Pr. Guy De Thé 和 Pr。安托万·格赛因。他专注于 HTLV-1 及其相关 STLV-1 猿猴病毒的遗传多样性。当时，Renaud 还与 Antoine Gessain 和喀麦隆巴斯德中心的病毒学家 Philippe Mauclère 一起参与了该单位的首批任务之一，在喀麦隆南部偏远森林地区的村庄人口中寻找逆转录病毒变种. 在Guy de Thé单位逗留期间，Renaud结识了现任法属圭亚那巴斯德研究所所长Mirdad Kazanji博士，并成为多年的密友和同事。随后，Renaud 在 NIH 博士的实验室进行了博士后研究。John Brady (NIH/NCI) 专注于 HTLV-1 的分子生物学。他与 Brady 博士的合作产生了 20 多篇研究论文，涉及 HTLV-1 病理生理学中的几个分子主题，包括病毒癌蛋白 Tax、肿瘤抑制蛋白 p53、NF-κB 信号通路调节和 HTLV-1 感染中的细胞凋亡细胞。在 NIH 期间，他与 HTLV-1 领域的其他同事，即 Drs. Steve Jacobson 和 Fatah Kashanchi，他们成为了他一生的亲密同事和朋友。在 NIH 获得博士后职位后，他回到法国，在那里他在国家医学与研究研究所 (INSERM) 担任研究员，担任巴斯德研究所致癌病毒流行病学和生理病理学部门的研究员。此后，Renaud 在 Pr 继续他卓有成效的职业生涯。Gessain，在 Pr 退休后。Guy de Thé，并在多项激动人心的发现中发挥了重要作用，包括逆转录病毒 HTLV-3、其人畜共患起源及其分子特征、STLV-1 和 STLV-3 型新猿猴病毒以及对不确定的 HTLV 血清学的理解，这在热带地区非常常见。60 多篇出版物进一步标志着他辉煌的科学道路，他的导师和 Kashanchi 博士在 HTLV-3 上获得了 NIH 的资助。也是在这个时候，他开始参与巴斯德研究所的教学工作。病毒学确实是他非常喜欢的一个话题，他在里昂充分发展。并在多项激动人心的发现中发挥了重要作用，包括逆转录病毒 HTLV-3、其人畜共患病起源及其分子特征、STLV-1 和 STLV-3 型新猿猴病毒以及对不确定的 HTLV 血清学的理解，这些发现非常重要。常见于热带地区。60 多篇出版物进一步标志着他辉煌的科学道路，他的导师和 Kashanchi 博士在 HTLV-3 上获得了 NIH 的资助。也是在这个时候，他开始参与巴斯德研究所的教学工作。病毒学确实是他非常喜欢的一个话题，他在里昂充分发展。并在多项激动人心的发现中发挥了重要作用，包括逆转录病毒 HTLV-3、其人畜共患病起源及其分子特征、STLV-1 和 STLV-3 型新猿猴病毒以及对不确定的 HTLV 血清学的理解，这些发现非常重要。常见于热带地区。60 多篇出版物进一步标志着他辉煌的科学道路，他的导师和 Kashanchi 博士在 HTLV-3 上获得了 NIH 的资助。也是在这个时候，他开始参与巴斯德研究所的教学工作。病毒学确实是他非常喜欢的一个话题，他在里昂充分发展。这在热带地区非常常见。60 多篇出版物进一步标志着他辉煌的科学道路，他的导师和 Kashanchi 博士在 HTLV-3 上获得了 NIH 的资助。也是在这个时候，他开始参与巴斯德研究所的教学工作。病毒学确实是他非常喜欢的一个话题，他在里昂充分发展。这在热带地区非常常见。60 多篇出版物进一步标志着他辉煌的科学道路，他的导师和 Kashanchi 博士在 HTLV-3 上获得了 NIH 的资助。也是在这个时候，他开始参与巴斯德研究所的教学工作。病毒学确实是他非常喜欢的一个话题，他在里昂充分发展。

2008 年，雷诺加入里昂高等师范学院 (ENS)，担任教授职位。这标志着他职业生涯第二阶段的开始，他对研究和教学的热情通过在 HTLVs 领域追求高质量的研究工作以及在病毒学领域的热情教学路径的发展而凸显。2013年，他成为ENS生物系主任，在ENS短期内取得多项成就，体现了他的教学能力和杰出能力。他确实召集了一支强大而敬业的教学团队，他与日本，特别是与 Pr 的团队制定了科学交流计划。Toshi Watanabe，他与包括 Hélène Dutarte 在内的同事不知疲倦地工作，并指导了包括 Chloé Journo 在内的才华横溢的学生，他们受到他成功事业的启发，目前正在逆转录病毒学领域追求类似的辉煌道路。Renaud 获得了国际认可，并成为逆转录病毒学领域的世界权威。他积极参与国际逆转录病毒学协会（IRVA），并担任该协会的秘书多年。他与黎巴嫩的关系以及与 Pr 的终生友谊证明了他的国际网络。阿里·巴扎尔巴奇。Renaud 多次访问黎巴嫩，在那里他主持了研究研讨会，发起了研究合作，积极参与病毒学教学，并担任博士论文委员会成员。Renaud 获得了国际认可，并成为逆转录病毒学领域的世界权威。他积极参与国际逆转录病毒学协会（IRVA），并担任该协会的秘书多年。他与黎巴嫩的关系以及与 Pr 的终生友谊证明了他的国际网络。阿里·巴扎尔巴奇。Renaud 多次访问黎巴嫩，在那里他主持了研究研讨会，发起了研究合作，积极参与病毒学教学，并担任博士论文委员会成员。Renaud 获得了国际认可，并成为逆转录病毒学领域的世界权威。他积极参与国际逆转录病毒学协会（IRVA），并担任该协会的秘书多年。他与黎巴嫩的关系以及与 Pr 的终生友谊证明了他的国际网络。阿里·巴扎尔巴奇。Renaud 多次访问黎巴嫩，在那里他主持了研究研讨会，发起了研究合作，积极参与病毒学教学，并担任博士论文委员会成员。

Renaud 是世界一流的逆转录病毒学家，与他人合着了 140 多篇出版物。他应邀作为主旨发言人，并在国际会议上主持或共同主持了大量会议。他曾担任编辑委员会成员，并担任病毒学领域著名期刊的审稿人。Renaud 有一个温暖和胜利的个性，培养了独立性。第一次见到他的人常常惊讶于他是多么的谨慎和朴实。他说得好，写得好，体现了他作为领导者的辛勤工作和清晰的思想。

雷诺告诉我们，诚实、勤奋、决心和乐观是在科学和生活中取得巨大成功的要素。他是一个美丽的灵魂，忠诚于友谊，充满活力，并以持续的积极精神表达自己。在与 NIH 的 Steve Jacobson 博士以及 HTLV-1 领域的许多其他人（包括 Drs. Dale McFarlin、Pamela Rodgers-Johnson、Ralph Grassmann、John Brady、David Derse、Bill Harrington、Kuan-Teh (Teh) Jean、Guy de Thé、Kazunari Yamaguchi 和 Jean-Claude Vernant，他提醒我们以下鼓舞人心的段落：

“我们就像坐在巨人肩膀上的小矮人。我们比他们看到的更多，更远的事情，不是因为我们的视力比他们高，或者因为我们比他们高，而是因为他们把我们抬高了，并通过他们的高大增加了我们的身材。”

索尔兹伯里的约翰，1159 年

法塔赫卡尚奇。

阿里·巴扎尔巴奇。

安托万·格赛因。

作者要感谢 Mahieux 实验室的成员以及其他同事，包括 Hélène Dutarte、Johan Van Weyenbergh、Steve Jacobson、Cynthia Masison、Olivier Hermine、Mirdad Kazanji、Hiba El Hajj、Monsef Benkirane、Genoveffa Franchini 和 Remi Veneziano评论和支持。

隶属关系

1. 乔治梅森大学，马纳萨斯，弗吉尼亚州，20110，美国

   法塔赫卡尚奇

2. 贝鲁特美国大学，贝鲁特，黎巴嫩

   阿里·巴扎尔巴奇

3. 法国巴黎巴斯德研究所

   安托万·格赛因

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Kashanchi, F., Bazarbachi, A. & Gessain, A. 纪念 Renaud Mahieux。逆转录病毒学 18, 7 (2021)。https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-021-00551-7

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• 发表：2021 年 3 月 17 日

• DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-021-00551-7