Dear Valerie, Sacha, very sad news indeed. I have fond memories of my time with André at the IGBMC and our many trips to various synchrotrons which I always enjoyed thanks to André’s kindness and interesting conversations. André definitely played a not insignificant role that I find myself working at a synchrotron.
Cher André you will be missed. Ralf From: CCP4 bulletin board <[email protected]> on behalf of Nukri Sanishvili <[email protected]> Date: Friday, 24 January 2025 at 20:44 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] André Mitschler Dear All, I read the announcement of André’s passing with great sadness and yet with undeniable joy of fond memories. I knew André very well and we spent many hours working together at the 19ID beamline of Structural Biology Center, the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Lab. André indeed was an extraordinary person. Not only was he a pleasure to work with, but also conversations with him were always enjoyable and enriching. Interactions with André were the highlights of several years of collaboration with Alberto Podjarny’s lab. I even managed to visit him at his home near Illkirch where he and his wife were the most delightful hosts. Structural biology indeed lost one of the great experimentalists and we all lost a very interesting, friendly and kind human-being. You will be missed, mon ami. Nukri On Fri, Jan 24, 2025 at 11:14 AM Alexandre Ourjoumtsev <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Dear all, for those (I expect, many of you) who knew André Mitschler, I resubmit the message below. Sad news. It was a great and non-trivial person. With best wishes, Sacha Urzhumtsev = = = = From: Valerie LAMOUR <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Friday, January 24, 2025 4:23 PM Subject: André Mitschler, former crystallography engineer in the BSI department André Mitschler est décédé le 5 Décembre, à l’âge de 83 ans. André était un cristallographe expérimental hors pair. Il a débuté en recherche dans le laboratoire du Prof Weiss où il a eu la charge du premier diffractomètre à RX de l’époque. En 1967, a entamé une fructueuse collaboration avec Dino Moras qui a pu bénéficier de son expertise et son adresse expérimentale pour sa thèse de 3e cycle. Leurs liens ne se sont jamais rompus. En 1981 Il a rejoint le laboratoire de cristallographie de Dino, nouvellement créé à l’IBMC. Il y a effectué le reste d’une fructueuse carrière d’ingénieur CNRS qui, en 1994, s’est poursuivie à l’IGBMC, un nouvel institut créé à Illkirch avec un important soutien de l’industrie pharmaceutique. En 1996, il a rejoint le groupe d’Alberto Podjarny, pour travailler dans la détermination de la structure de l’Aldose Reductase humaine. Les cristaux diffractaient à une résolution extrêmement haute (0.6 Angstroms). La mesure des données a demandé des nouveaux développements et l’utilisation des meilleures lignes synchrotron du monde. André était à la hauteur du défi, avec la capacité de passer de longues heures à monter et tester expérimentalement des cristaux. Il pouvait travailler 72 heures d’affilée dans le synchrotron d'Argonne National Lab. Le travail a culminé en 2008, avec la publication d’un mécanisme enzymatique inattendu. En 1999, il a obtenu la médaille de Cristal du CNRS, en reconnaissance de ses travaux en cristallographie expérimentale. André était aussi un passionné de l’histoire militaire, et a fait une carrière dans l’armée jusqu’à rang de colonel dans la cavalerie. Sa passion par la recherche, sa force de travail et son dévouement pour l’excellence expérimentale sont un exemple à suivre par tous les jeunes chercheurs. //// André Mitschler passed away on December 5th at the age of 83. André was an outstanding experimental crystallographer. He began his research career in Professor Weiss's laboratory, where he was responsible for the first X-ray diffractometer at the time. In 1967, he started a fruitful collaboration with Dino Moras, whose doctoral work benefited greatly from André's expertise and experimental skill. Their professional ties endured throughout their lives. In 1981, André joined Dino’s newly established crystallography laboratory at IBMC, where he spent the remainder of a productive career as a CNRS engineer. In 1994, he continued his work at IGBMC, a new institute in Illkirch supported by the pharmaceutical industry. In 1996, André joined Alberto Podjarny’s group to work on determining the structure of human aldose reductase. The crystals diffracted at an exceptionally high resolution (0.6 Å), which required innovative developments and access to the world's most advanced synchrotron beamlines. André rose to the challenge, demonstrating his ability to spend long hours preparing and experimentally testing crystals. He worked tirelessly, including 72-hour shifts at the Argonne National Laboratory synchrotron. This effort culminated in 2008 with the publication of an unexpected enzymatic mechanism. In 1999, André was awarded the CNRS Crystal Medal in recognition of his contributions to experimental crystallography. André was also a military history enthusiast and pursued a parallel career in the army, rising to the rank of colonel in the cavalry. His passion for research, tireless work ethic, and dedication to experimental excellence remain an inspiration for young researchers. ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential, copyright and or privileged material, and are for the use of the intended addressee only. 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