Léopold Nègre

Who is Léopold Nègre?

Léopold Nègre was a French biologist born in Montpellier.

He studied natural sciences at the University of Montpellier, followed by courses in microbiology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. From 1907 to 1910 he served as préparateur at the laboratory of microbiology courses headed by Amédée Borrel. In 1910 he obtained his doctorate of medicine. Following an internship at the Pasteur Institute-Lille, he was appointed laboratory chief at the Pasteur Institute in Algiers. In 1918 he received his doctorate of natural sciences.

In 1919 he was assigned to the laboratory of tuberculosis headed by Albert Calmette at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Here he takes part in research of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. With microbiologist Alfred Boquet he developed antigen méthilique for treatment of tuberculosis.

In 1931 Nègre became chair at the Institut Pasteur, and in 1944 was named vice president of the Société de biologie. He was also president of the Société française de la tuberculose and a member of the Académie de Médecine.