I write hastily about Santiago Grisolía on the same day of his death in Valencia at the age of 99 years and 8 months. I do it not because of my almost 50 years of friendship and collaboration with him, but because he has been a Spanish scientist of international caliber, charismatic and with strong public projection for at least half a century, and even more so in the medical and research field. Also because their life path made it better for us, and not just for a few, as they had an important and positive social impact.
Trained as a researcher, first in Valencia with the eminent professor of physiology José García Blanco (student of Juan Negrín, who was President of the Republic during the Civil War), and then in the United States with Severo Ochoa in New York and with PP Cohen in Wisconsin , made significant discoveries about what was at the forefront of scientific research at the time, the study of enzymes (biological catalysts) and metabolism (transformation of substances in the body). In Wisconsin he laid solid biochemical foundations on how urea is made by our bodies and actually proved the existence of the urea cycle, until then a plausible hypothesis formulated by Hans Krebs (later a Nobel laureate for this cycle and for energy production) called the cycle Krebs cycle). In the process, Grisolía discovered enzymes that are the targets of rare diseases, the so-called urea cycle diseases.
Their transformative commitment and their continued and tireless dedication to the end should be lasting examples and a cause for gratitude.
These achievements led the University of Kansas to offer Grisolía to set up Kansas City University Medical Center’s first biochemistry research laboratory, the Mac Ilwane Laboratory. There he developed his practice for the next 20 years until 1976, founding and directing the Department of Biochemistry until 1973 and then becoming the Sam E. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, a truly personal and lifelong chair and highest degree of that university. During his stay in Kansas he achieved extraordinary things in enzymology, was at the scientific vanguard at the time, laid the foundation for a treatment for sickle cell anemia and trained in his department with a large group of biochemists from around the world trained Spanish, of which the last group was American count me
During this period, his interest in Spain led him to numerous initiatives to regenerate and promote scientific and university modernity in our country, many of them in collaboration with Severo Ochoa. Highlights include her contribution to the successful founding of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1961-1963), her contributions as an adviser to the White Paper on which the Villar Palasí General Education Law was based, a radical modernization of teaching and university Spanish, making the public system was able to serve much broader social strata; his participation in the organization of a major symposium in honor of then-Nobel laureate Ochoa, which brought cutting-edge molecular biology research to the front pages of the media; or the holding of a major congress on the urea cycle at the University of Valencia, chaired by Krebs himself, with all the discoverers of said cycle, with an extraordinary poster announcing Dalí and which turns into an excellent reference work on said cycle ( The Urea Cycle, 1976, Wiley, Grisolía, Báguena & Mayor, eds.).
The president of the Valencian Generalitat, Ximo Puig, together with other authorities and relatives, intervened in the burning chapel of the Valencian scientist Santiago Grisolía, installed in the Palau de la Generalitat on Friday.Rober Solsona (Europa Press)
But his real Spanish adventure began when he accepted the direction of the Cytological Research Institute of the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Valencia, the Biomedical Research Center of Valencia owned by the Social Work of a Savings Bank, a center founded by The 1975 late doctor and researcher Gerónimo Forteza was succeeded by Grisolía. He gave up most of his previous life in Kansas City, as well as a distinguished position of exceptional research capacity, for a private institute that was initially well equipped for what was common in Spain, but whose future was considered very uncertain.
The challenge was important. Grisolía set out to improve the institute’s existing capabilities by introducing a strong biochemical component. In this company, in which some of us have been fortunate to work together, the results have been spectacular, even with fairly modest means, resulting in a center of excellence that for many years has been a real benchmark in biomedicine in Valencia, training a large number of Scientists who have populated universities and research centers around the world. In it, for example, we produced carbamylglutamate, which was used for the first time in a patient with a rare congenital disease (acetylglutamate synthase deficiency), which is now a specific commercial drug for the practically curative treatment of this disease and is also very effective in other congenital disorders such as organic acidemias.
Scholar of international caliber with an exceptional ability to mediate, which has given him a sectarian and non-sectarian approach to the societies in which he has lived
This is where the massive newborn screening for congenital diseases (the newborn heel test) took place. Santiago Grisolía not only contented himself with directing the said Institute, precursor of today’s Príncipe Felipe Research Center, and partly also the Institute of Biomedicine Valencia of the CSIC, but Grisolía also carried out his work there as a scientific researcher until he took office left the direction of Mid back in the 90’s of the last century.
Grisolía was also an exceptional promoter and champion of science in civil society until the last moment of his life, as he firmly believed in the supreme value of science as a social transformer. Initially he created and directed the Valencian Foundation for Advanced Studies, persuaded members of the Valencian business sector to fund it through patronage and led within this Foundation to numerous debates and discussion meetings, not only on scientific issues but also on civic and social interest. He promoted the development of genomics and the sequencing of the human genome with the Human Genome Meetings he organized in Valencia, under the auspices of UNESCO, which brought together the main international players involved, as well as the most progressive Spaniards in genetics, and in particular the Valencians, which undoubtedly a key factor in this was that Valencia is an important core of gene and genome companies.
He also received public and private support which led him to the creation of the famous Rei Jaume I Awards, for the administration of which he established the Rey Jaime I Awards Foundation, of which he was now Honorary President, awards initially only for science but later also for medicine, Economy, Environment, New Technologies, Architecture and Entrepreneurship, very well endowed, with impeccable international juries, which include a large number of Nobel Prize winners. He contributed to the creation of the architecturally exceptional and state-of-the-art Prince Felipe Science Museum in Valencia, whose expert council he chaired until his death. It was also the driving force behind the creation of the Príncipe Felipe Research Center, a modern continuation of the Cytological Research Institute of Valencia but much larger.
It is worth mentioning a political-social function that Grisolía has performed with great skill practically since the Government of the Generalitat Valenciana acquired its first powers. This is the Presidency of the Consell Valencià de Cultura (CVC) of the Generalitat Valenciana, a statutory body for the preservation and promotion of the culture and heritage of the Autonomous Community of Valencia. Grisolía was its first and only president until his death, and in this position has led very important activities, especially in the preservation of monuments, in the language of the community and in so many others in which the CVC strives to create a universal consensus for the preservation and To achieve improvement that also preserves the memory, also with an excellent publication policy.
In summary, an exceptional person, dedicated and professional, with wood, boards, craftsmanship and passion of a scientist of stature and international recognition (IUBMB Medal, Prince of Asturias Prize), creative, hardworking and with an exceptional ability to mediate. largely due to the high level of trust of his interlocutors, which allowed him a transversal and non-sectarian approach to the societies in which he lived. Their transformative commitment and continued, tireless dedication to the end should be lasting examples and a reason to thank them. I wish we could create many people like him in our society. We will miss him.
Vicente Rubio ZamoraLinked Ad Honorem Research Professor, Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia, of the Higher Council for Scientific Research.
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