Luis Federico Leloir

Argentine physician and biochemist

Born: September 6, 1906 · Died: December 2, 1987

Famous Persons

Who was Luis Federico Leloir?

Luis Federico Leloir (6 September 1906 – 2 December 1987) was an Argentine physician and biochemist who received the 1970 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of the metabolic pathways by which carbohydrates are synthesized and converted into energy in the body. Although born in France, Leloir received the majority of his education at the University of Buenos Aires and was director of the private research group Fundación Instituto Campomar until his death in 1987. However, Federico died in late August, and a week later Luis was born in an old house at 81 Víctor Hugo Road in Paris, a few blocks away from the Arc de Triomphe. Leloir is buried in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires. Leloir's parents, Federico Augusto Rufino and Hortencia Aguirre de Leloir, traveled from Buenos Aires to Paris in the middle of 1906 with the intention of treating Federico's illness.

Leloir (top left) with family on an Argentine resort, 1951

Historical significance

His research into sugar nucleotides, carbohydrate metabolism, and renal hypertension garnered international attention and led to significant progress in understanding, diagnosing and treating the congenital disease galactosemia.

Luis Leloir and Carlos Eugenio Cardini at work in the Fundación Instituto Campomar, 1960.

Sources and further reading

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Wikipedia source

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MLA

“Luis Federico Leloir.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/luis-federico-leloir/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Luis Federico Leloir. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/luis-federico-leloir/

Chicago

“Luis Federico Leloir.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/luis-federico-leloir/.

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