Obituary to Tribute 'Polo'

摘要

I first met ‘Polo’ in 1986 when he arrived fresh from Mexico accompanyinghis wife Teresa who had secured a position in Biochemistry at theUniversity of Birmingham. Himself jobless, Polo approached the thenHead of Immunology, Ian MacLennan, expressing a wish to “do someImmunology” upon which he was pointed in my direction. In those earlydays I was certainly grateful for “an extra pair of hands”. And what “hands”they turned out to be. Polo integrated seamlessly into the group, rapidlyproving to be among the most energetic and passionate of scientists that Ihave had the privilege to know. A hallmark of Polo was his preternaturallyinfectious enthusiasm, fostering and engendering highly productivecollaborations both locally and internationally. In 1990, Polo left Birmingham to join the ImmunologyDivision of the Glaxo Institute for Molecular Biology, Geneva where he further flourished under theguidance of Jean-Yves Bonnefoy. Likewise, a highly productive couple of years at the Schering-PloughResearch Centre with Jacques Banchereau in Lyon were followed by more of the same at the M.D.Anderson Center, Houston. Polo eventually returned home, joining in 1998 the Centre for AdvancedResearch, CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City though still engaging internationally, not least as a VisitingProfessor to the Rockefeller Institute with the late great Ralph Steinman. For over 20 years, Polo workedtirelessly to further the cause of Immunology in his native country and, calling on his extensive network,promoted the placement of young Mexcian scientists in top research establishments throughout Europe the USA. He organised national meetings of the Mexican Society of Immunology, his name ensuringthe participation of stellar speakers from overseas. In recent years, Polo threw himself into outreach andpublic engagment activities at all levels while also developing a Medics-focussed Immunology UpdateCourse adopted by several of the universities across Mexico. In the past year, he was elected to theranks of the prestiguous Sinaloa College, a rare and distinguished honour. Polo’s legacy in the field ofimmunology and particularly his contributions to our understanding of B lymphocytes and dendriticcells is, and will continue to be, immense; not least through the cohort of highly talented students hehas inspired and championed over the years. His published body of work is legion, including seminalpapers in Nature, Science, Immunity, J Exp Med, Blood, Immunology, and Eur J immunol, frequentlyas first or senior author. Often co-authoring with the leading lights in their field while abroad, there wascertainly no let-up in publication rate, or quality, on his return to Mexico. The greatest legacy, however,is that of the man himself. All who knew Polo speak glowingly of his humanity, his immense passion,generosity of spirit, and of wonderful friendships. Polo passed away on Monday March 23rd with Teresaand Paola by his side. Our thoughts and love go out to them.