Professor Albert E. G. Kreutzwendedich von dem Borne

Abstract

Albert von dem Borne, who died aged 65, read Medicine at the University of Amsterdam, where he qualified in 1963. He spent his military service at the Military Hospital in the Hague and then at the Military Blood Transfusion Service located at the Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (CLB) in Amsterdam. After his military service he started his PhD studies on autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with Joghem van Loghem and Paul Engelfriet at the Department of Immunohaematology of the CLB. He specialized in internal medicine at the Wilhelmina Gasthuis, one of the two teaching hospitals of the University of Amsterdam. From the beginning of his career as a Consultant Haematologist, he was appointed jointly to the CLB and the Clinical Haematology departments of the University's teaching hospitals. This provided an ideal environment for conducting high-quality translational research. In 1983 he became assistant head of the Haematology department at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam. In recognition of his excellence in Immunohaematology research, he was appointed to a personal chair in Immunohaematology in 1991. In 1992 he became Professor of Clinical Haematology and the Head of the Department. Albert was an advocate of translational research long before it became ‘in vogue’, and he has shown that excellence in basic research can be combined with a demanding appointment as Consultant Haematologist. Clinical problems in haematology were a continuous source of inspiration for him. The combination of his relentless energy and his intellect gave rise to a never-ending stream of discoveries, many with direct relevance to patient care. Above all, he will be remembered as an original scientist who was able to inspire many young colleagues. He supervised more than 50 PhD students, transferring to them his enormous enthusiasm for medical science and teaching them that trusting new ideas was essential for excelling in science. His name is on more than 350 papers, most of which were published in prominent journals. Albert's approach to forging new discoveries was based on continuously challenging accepted concepts, and his non-conformism was unique and stimulating for his young scientists but, at times, demanding to others. He showed his dedication to education, often on a one-to-one tutorial basis, during which he shared his encyclopaedic knowledge, frequently into the small hours, whilst enjoying his pipe. Albert's scientific work was internationally at the forefront and he has made many critical contributions to the development of immunohaematology, particulary by early studies on autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and the mechanisms by which red cells are destroyed by antibodies, and also to the immunology of platelets and granulocytes. The platelet and granulocyte immunofluorescence tests, which he developed, greatly advanced research on the immunology of these cells. He has defined several of the platelet and neutrophil antigens and studied such antigens, first serologically, then biochemically and finally at the DNA level. He foresaw at an early stage, even before monoclonal antibodies were discovered, the value of developing antibodies against cell differentation antigens for the analysis of haematological malignancies. From the start, he was a major contributor to the International Workshop on Leukocyte Cell Differentiation (CD) antigens. Despite his wide interest in all aspects of immunohaematology, the platelet was the main theme of his research. Immediately after the discovery of thrombopoietin, he initiated new directions of research and he was planning to study the gene expression profiles of megakaryocytes by microarray technology after his retirement. In his final years he returned to the red cell and, just before his decease, his paper on the function of the Rhesus complex was accepted for publication. Albert was a passionate photographer, especially of flowers, and was a dedicated and much-loved father and husband. He died on March 6, 2003, after a serious illness at the age of only 65. He will be much missed by his family, by his colleagues and by people all over the world for his remarkable personality and his original way of thinking. Paul Engelfriet and colleagues Amsterdam/Cambridge, May 2003