Amsterdam, 13 May 2026
ESID mourns the passing of Professor Claude Griscelli, a visionary founder and a pioneer in genetic disease research.
It is with deep emotion that the ESID board announces the passing of Professor Claude Griscelli on May 7th in Rabat, Morocco. A paediatrician, world-renowned immunologist, former Director of the Inserm institute and founding President of the Institute Imagine in Paris, Professor Griscelli leaves behind an inestimable scientific and human legacy, entirely committed to children’s health and biomedical research.
Born in 1936 in Rabat, Claude Griscelli moved to Paris to pursue a medical career that turned out to be exceptional. As a junior doctor in Paris, he developed a passion for paediatrics and immunology. Prof. Griscelli then honed his craft in the United States, before returning to France to devote his career to the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, where he established the speciality of paediatric immunology. At Necker, he set an example and contributed to the rise of a generation of highly talented physician-researchers. His work led to the description of several genetic diseases, one of which is named after him: Griscelli syndrome.
Prof. Griscelli’s vision and understanding of the importance of biomedical research for pediatric immunology extended far beyond the confines of his laboratory. Together with other giants of the field, such as Fernando Aiuti and Jaak Vossen, Claude Griscelli is widely credited for recognizing the significance of sharing clinical expertise across Europe, a vision that culminated in the 1983 inception of the European Group for Immunodeficiencies (EGID), the forerunner of today’s ESID.
Beyond his scientific achievements, Professor Griscelli was defined by his deep humanitarian spirit and an unwavering dedication to his young patients. Confronted by the challenges of rare, incurable diseases, he consistently challenged the status quo. As a pioneer in the field, he was at the forefront of bone marrow transplantation for severe primary immunodeficiencies and became a foundational advocate for the early development of gene therapy.
In professor Claude Griscelli, the ESID family has lost one of his great ancestors, a visionary, a physician of rare kindness, and a scientist whose discoveries have saved countless lives.
Prof. Claude Griscelli honoured at the 2018 ESID meeting in Lisbon with the Lifetime Achievement Award
