Luis Federico Leloir Biography

Scientist, biochemist. Born on September 6, 1906, in Paris, France. Born while his parents visited France, Leloir grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He graduated from medical school in 1932 and later worked at the Institute of Physiology under the guidance of Bernardo Houssay. He became interested in biochemistry, or the study of chemical processes and compounds found in living things.

In 1947, Leloir established the Institute for Biochemical Investigations. At his institute, he studied how the sugar in milk is created and processed by the human body. He discovered sugar nucleotides, which help the body store certain sugars and transform them into energy. Leloir received the 1970 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery and study of sugar nucleotides.

Leloir continued his scientific research for the rest of his life, receiving numerous awards and honors for his work. He died on December 2, 1987.