Placenta (2006), Vol. 27, Supplement A, Trophoblast Research, Vol. 20 doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2006.02.001 In Memoriam Maurice Panigel, M.D., Ph.D. (1926–2005) During March of 2005, the Trophoblast Research Community lost one of its most productive and passionate investigators e Maurice Panigel. Professor Panigel was a founding member of the Editorial Board for Trophoblast Research, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Placenta. Not only did Maurice bring a dynamic presence to all dialogue on reproductive biology especially for the placenta, but he also provided insightful and novel approaches to pursuing research on the placenta for more than four decades. He trained many of the current leaders in the field of reproductive biology from graduate students to postdoctoral fellows to visiting scientists. His laboratories at the University of Paris VI were a magnet for the world’s best reproductive biologists. Maurice brought to every discussion a twist in the perspective that demanded attention. On many occasions, he would provide the audience such eloquent imagery that slides and PowerPoint presentations were irrelevant. Maurice was the ‘‘Ambassador’’ for the placenta and all of its magnificent functions. From Puerto Rico to Japan, from Australia to San Antonio, from India to South Korea, from Rochester to Paris, from New York City to the Congo, from Cameroon to Pittsburgh, from Atlanta to London and from Little Rock to Baltimore, 0143e4004/$esee front matter Maurice brought a zest that was unquenchable. Scholars would join Maurice and his wife, Jeannette, for weeks, months or years at Paris VI along the Seine or at their country home, Pouvray. It has been said that Maurice was one of the youngest, if not the youngest, Professors at the Sorbonne. Such accomplishments reflected his development under the guidance of two world traveling educators, his mother, Louise, and father, Jacques. He spoke many languages and was fluent in Arabic largely due to his birth and schooling in Egypt. His brothers, Edmond and Armand, were as much world travelers as was Maurice. However, home was Paris with Jeanette and their four children, Marianne, Catherine, Valerie and Jean-Louis and now their three grandchildren e Mathilde, Elise and Celia. His daughters and son are accomplished in their fields of medicine, science and international affairs. There is absolutely no question that Maurice Panigel was true French as was his passion for his country, his family, his students and his science. Maurice had a special passion for conveying the excitement of science to all students and those who would listen. He created the 3rd Cycle Degree in Reproductive Biology at the University of Paris VI with Professor H. Charniaux-Cotton in 1966 and was responsible for that program until his retirement in 1990. Being Director of an INSERM research unit afforded him the ability to extend the horizons for all of his students. He even produced several movies on vertebrate development. Maurice and Professor Ralph Wynn were instrumental in encouraging the development of Trophoblast Research. Thus, the success of this publication continues even though both retired from the Editorial Board in 2000 after serving nearly 20 years. At the memorable 2000 Rochester Trophoblast Conference, Professor Panigel was honored along with other giants in the field of placentology including e Professors R. Boyd, J. Dancis, H. Soma, H. Thiede and R. Wynn. The reader is encouraged to view these presentations available on DVD to have the full impact of their reflections. Maurice began his placental investigations from a comparative perspective and wrote a definitive treatise on that subject with Pierre-Paul Grassé. The treatise was partially based upon his doctoral thesis on the gestation of the lizard in 1955. However, his curiosity to link morphology and function led him to begin with the perfusion of the umbilical cord followed by the development of an isolated human placental lobule perfusion model in the early 1960s. This model was given to the world at a Reproductive Biology Meeting held at Princeton University in 1968. Many helped in its development over the years; however, an important collaboration occurred in 1968/1969 when J. Dancis from New York University and a young German physician, H. Schneider, came together in Maurice’s laboratory in Paris to explore more fully the capabilities of using the dually perfused human placental lobule. This classic paper Placenta (2006), Vol. 27, Supplement A, Trophoblast Research, Vol. 20 S10 published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1972 has been the reference for those who have continued to evolve the placental perfusion model. At the same time, Maurice worked with R. Myers in studying placental circulation in the non-human primate placentology in Puerto Rico. With S. Kalter in San Antonio, Maurice also discovered C type particles in the baboon placenta. These particles later turned out to be viruses related to the evolution of the syncytiotrophoblast as a typical structure of the hemochorial placenta of primates. Later in life he continued these investigations on viral infection of the human placenta concerning HIV-1 with A. Nahmias, B. Polliotti and R.K. Miller. His non-human primate work with E. Ramsey and M. Donner concerning utero-placental circulation has become the fundamental observations for many years. Maurice extended these investigations with D. Mattison, A. Malek and R.K. Miller in the perfused human placental lobule as well as in the non-human primate with G. Wolfe and C. Coulam using magnetic resonance imaging. Because of these initial investigations by Professor Panigel, entire View publication stats programs were devoted to these discussions at past Placenta Meetings. One of his final reviews explored the use of these sophisticated technologies of MRI, ultrasound and contrast agents in understanding the placenta. His interest in the biochemical and physiological investigations of the human placenta led to detailed studies of metabolism and transport with his students e J-C. Challier, B. Polliotti and many others. Professor Panigel has always stimulated emotions and crystallized insights through his writings and presentations. We anticipate that future generations will now be dependent upon his writings and the anthology of stories shared over a bottle of French wine with one of the many ‘‘old timers’’ who were close to Maurice. We look forward to a special symposium in his honor at the 2006 International Federation of Placenta Association and Japanese Placenta Association Meeting in Kobe, Japan, organized by Takeshi Maruo, M.D., Ph.D. from 6e9 September. Richard K. Miller, Henning Schneider, Jean Claude Challier.