The father of modern genetics, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune, discovered that an extra copy of chromosome 21 was responsible for the condition known as Down syndrome. Read More >
1590: Invention of the microscope Janssen (as Attributed to Galileo in 1609). Read More >
In 1958, Professor Jérôme Lejeune, a doctor and researcher at the Necker Hospital in Paris, discovered an extra chromosome on the 21st pair and in so doing discovered the genetic cause of Down syndrome. Read More >
Receiving a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, or another genetic disability can be the start of a dark and fearful time for many families.
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The Jerome Lejeune Foundation (France and the U.S.) was founded in 1996 to carry on the work of the legendary geneticist, Jerome Lejeune. Through its mission of research, care, and advocacy, the Jerome Lejeune Foundation serves those with Down syndrome and other genetic intellectual disabilities in a spirit of profound respect for their inherent human dignity, and that of all human persons.
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