After studying biology at the University of Barcelona, Lluis Quintana-Murci obtained a PhD in human genetics at the University of Pavia in Italy and his professorial thesis to head research at the Sorbonne University in Paris. To complete his studies, he did a postdoctoral internship at the “Institut Pasteur”, and spent time at Oxford and the University of Tucson, before joining the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), where he was the Director of Research until 2019.

Lluis Quintana-Murci is a specialist in the study of the diversity of the human genome, both from a fundamental point of view and as applied to the understanding of certain pathologies. His approach includes population genetics, anthropology, epidemiology and immunology. It addresses questions relating to the demographic history of human populations, the mechanisms by which humans adapt to environmental changes, in particular the selection pressures exerted by pathogens, and the contribution of genetic and epigenetic variability in the human host to differences in humanitarian responses.

The fundamental knowledge acquired in this way has far-reaching implications for identifying the genetic basis of resistance or susceptibility to infectious diseases.

As a schoolboy, he planned to become a marine biologist. Today, he tells a different story, that of humanity through time. In his view, Homo sapiens is a very undiversified species, with genetic subtleties due to adaptation to our environment. These have an impact on our health and the way we deal with infectious agents.

Among his research projects, the “Milieu Intérieur” (“Internal environment”), of which he is one of the coordinators, looks at the various factors involved in the variability of the immune system. The aim is to propose precision treatments, specialised medicine that can be adapted according to the patient’s response to a given treatment.

Lluis Quintana-Murci is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. He is the author of major scientific articles and two books, « Une histoire génétique: Notre diversité, notre évolution, notre adaptation » (2021) and « Le peuple des humains » as well as « Sur les traces génétiques des migrations, métissages et adaptations (2021) ».