Death of Professor Pierre Tiollais

It is with deep sadness that the Institut Pasteur management team learned of the death of Pierre Tiollais, Professor at the Institut Pasteur and Head of the Molecular Biology of Viral Infections and Oncology Unit from 1979 to 2004.

Pierre Tiollais was born on December 8, 1934 in Rennes and worked as a resident in the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), graduating with an M.D. from the University of Paris in 1968. He began his career at Inserm as a research officer in 1967, becoming a research associate in 1971. From 1970 to 1976 he worked at the hematology institute at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. He was appointed as a Professor and hospital biologist in 1972, then as a Distinguished Professor at the Lariboisière-Saint-Louis Faculty of Medicine in 1991.

In 1973, he joined the Physical Chemistry of Biological Macromolecules Unit led by Henri Buc at the Institut Pasteur. In 1976, he became leader of a research group in the Genetic Engineering Unit. In 1979, he was appointed as Head of the Recombination and Gene Expression Unit, which then became the Molecular Biology of Viral Infections and Oncology Unit. He became a Professor at the Institut Pasteur in 1988 and a Distinguished Professor in 2000. In 2004, he was appointed as Professor Emeritus at Denis-Diderot University and at the Institut Pasteur, and as Honorary Professor at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.

Pierre Tiollais was a specialist in recombinant DNA technologies, and in 1975 he developed the first cloning vector derived from the lambda phage bacterial virus. He then focused his research on hepatitis B, a disease that can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. With his team, he was the first to clone and then sequence the genome of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). In the early 1980s, his team demonstrated the presence of sequences from the HBV genome in the genome of liver cancer cells, thereby providing a key argument in support of the direct role of HBV in causing liver cancer. Pierre Tiollais' subsequent research on viral antigens led to the development of the recombinant vaccine for hepatitis B, which was produced at scale and used effectively throughout the world.

Pierre Tiollais' work has been recognized with several prestigious scientific awards: the Montyon Prize from the French Academy of Sciences (1985), the Oberling Prize (1985), the Rosen Prize from the French Foundation for Medical Research (1986), the SOVAC Prize (1988), the French National Academy of Medicine Award (1989), the research prize from the Athena Foundation – Institut de France (1990), the Grand Prix from the French Foundation for Medical Research (1990), the Grand Prix from the Institute for Electricity and Health (1994) and the research and medicine prize from the Institute for Health Science (1997). He was elected as a member of EMBO (1984), a corresponding member then a member of the French Academy of Sciences (1990 then 1991), a member of the French National Academy of Medicine (1996), a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (1998), and Doctor Honoris Causa at Uppsala University (1989) and the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (1999).

Pierre Tiollais was an emblematic figure at the Institut Pasteur and a pioneer of genetic engineering in France. He had a passion and curiosity for his work; he was very much appreciated by his colleagues and was an outstanding mentor for many scientists.

Pierre Tiollais was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and Grand Officier of the National Order of Merit.

Pierre Tiollais died on August 5, 2024 at the age of 89.

The management team and staff of the Institut Pasteur would like to express their heartfelt condolences to his family.

 

A few words and thoughts
 

"The atmosphere in Pierre's lab was magical. He was kind enough to give us complete freedom and trust us implicitly, and this created a fantastic environment in which so many of his students were able to succeed. With simple words and the hint of a smile on his lips, he was able to understand a situation and recognize what was needed. If he liked an idea, he would become fully invested in it, and this meant that alongside his specialist subject of HBV, fields as diverse as interferon beta, cloning and sequencing the HIV virus, and retinoic acid receptors all came together to form a wonderfully prolific melting pot – something I look back on as being quite unique. Pierre was first and foremost a physician, and one of his great strengths was having made a discovery and then developed a vaccine that saved millions of lives.

He didn't take himself seriously and was just as proud to have a napkin ring engraved with his name at the Select Bar where we would go with him at lunchtimes for a regular dose of taramasalata, or to have the security guard agree to him bringing his car onto campus on Sundays. He would get worked up if he felt that a collaboration was moving too slowly on an important topic, and also if the new brand of lab soap didn't lather properly – "you see Anne, soap only washes properly if it lathers" – and in both cases, Pierre would always get his way. Sometimes he surprised us by showing a touch of irreverence if he had to complete tasks he found boring – when dealing with paperwork he would often send a crumpled ball of paper whizzing to the garbage can. I owe him so much."

Anne Dejean, Head of the Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Research Unit

 

"Over and above his scientific contribution, remembering Pierre means remembering his kindness and decency. He created an extended family in his lab, hosting new students and postdocs even after his unit closed. He always supported me and encouraged me to move forward in my scientific career. I am very grateful to him."

Marie-Louise Michel, visiting scientist at the Institut Pasteur, Head of the XX Unit

 

"I completed my PhD in the unit led by Pierre Tiollais and later worked there. I was always very touched by his kindness, generosity and humility. Pierre Tiollais was a great scientist who epitomized the values of humanism and equality."

Yu Wei, research associate in the joint Institut Pasteur–TheraVectys laboratory

 

"The thing that characterized Pierre Tiollais, and it really came across as soon as you met him, was his kindness. That quality enabled his staff members to thrive and achieve their best results in his laboratory without fearing criticism or undue jealousy. Some of the leading lights in contemporary French biological and medical science cut their teeth in Pierre's laboratory under his protective wing. The second thing that stood out with Pierre was his open-mindedness, which he combined with a great confidence in his staff. The atmosphere this created enabled the members of his team to successfully carry out highly ambitious research projects."

Pascal Pineau, scientist in the Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Research Unit