Jean-Louis Guénet (1938-2024)
Obituary by Fernando Benavides (MDACC, Houston, TX, USA)
Dr. Jean-Louis Guénet graduated in veterinary science from the National School of Alfort, in Paris, in 1964. A couple of years later he obtained a Certificate in Genetics from the University of Paris. After completing his military service, he joined the Institut Pasteur, where Nobel laureate François Jacob encouraged him to start a research program in mouse genetics. Under the direction of François Jacob, Guénet made significant discoveries, including the discovery of a mutation in mice related to osteogenesis imperfecta. In 1981, Guénet was appointed director of the Unité de Génétique des Mammifères of the Institut Pasteur, a position he held until his retirement in 2005. He also served as deputy director of the Institut Pasteur during some of those years.
His influence in the field of mouse genetics is notable, with more than 300 publications and a prominent presence in the international scientific community. He was a member of the French Veterinary Academy, a foreign member of the National Academy of Medicine of Buenos Aires and was part of the editorial board of several genetics journals. His main contributions were the use of wild mice (for example, Mus spretus) for gene mapping, chemical mutagenesis by ENU, as well as the cloning and description of dozens of spontaneous mutations.
Guénet was an active member of the International Mammalian Genome Society (IMGS) for more than 25 years, and even organized the first mammalian genetics conference (IMGC) in 1987 in Paris. He participated in the formation of the first publications related to mouse genetics, such as Mouse News Letter, which in 1990 became Mouse Genome and, since 1998, was incorporated into the current Mammalian Genome.
Throughout his career, Guénet published several educational texts in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. His book Genetics of the Mouse (2015) remains a key reference in the field, and the "Manual de genética de roedores de laboratorio: principios básicos y aplicaciones" (Benavides-Guénet, 2003) is recognized as the only text in Spanish on the subject.
As a tireless educator and globetrotter, Guénet participated in hundreds of conferences and courses worldwide, with a special predilection for his trips to South America and Japan. His impact also extended as a mentor, promoting the careers of numerous young scientists. His legacy continues through his contributions to genetics and the many researchers he inspired, not only in the field of genetics, but also in the breeding and management of laboratory mice in animal farms.
Among those who trained with Dr. Guénet are several members of ISTT and IMGS such as Xavier Montagutelli, Jean Jaubert, Michel Cohen-Tannoudji, Jean-Jacques Panthier, Francina Langa Vives, Martina Crispo, Tomoji Mashimo, and Fernando Benavides, among others.
François Bonhomme (University of Montpellier), Tadao Serikawa (Kyoto University), Karen P. Steel (King's College London), Peter Gruss (Heidelberg University), Martin Hrabe de Angelis (German Mouse Clinic), Muriel T. Davisson (The Jackson Laboratory ), and Constantino Sotelo (Sorbonne University) were some of his most notable collaborators.
In closing, it would be fair to highlight that, in addition to being an honest, upright and generous scientist with his time and knowledge, he was an enthusiast of science in all its forms. Above all, he was a humble, fun and very informal person, down to earth, and a true bon vivant who enjoyed everything.