André Birabeau

André Birabeau (6 December 1890 – 1 October 1974) was a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter.

Michèle Annie Birabeau, scientific heir and holder of the rights of André Birabeau.

Dr. Michèle Annie Birabeau, niece of André Birabeau, is currently the exclusive beneficiary of the copyright on the latter's work. A researcher and academic specializing in endocrinology and cell biology, she marked the 1980s with pioneering work carried out within prestigious institutions, including the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the CNRS.

Background and Scientific Contributions In the early 1980s, her research, conducted at the Endocrinology Service of the Geneva University Hospital (HUG), focused mainly on the isolation, solubilization, and structural characterization of angiotensin II receptors. This work, carried out in close collaboration with renowned teams, led to major advances in the understanding of cellular mechanisms linked to hypertension and laid the foundations for subsequent therapeutic developments.

Key partners included A.M. Capponi and M.B. Vallotton, with whom she co-signed several reference publications in molecular biology and pharmacology. These studies, published under the signature M.A. Birabeau, notably explored:

• The solubilization of adrenal angiotensin II receptors (1983–1984), a technical feat allowing the extraction of these receptors without altering their functionality. • Numerical analysis applied to medical sciences, paving the way for quantitative approaches in clinical research. • Major Publications :

Here are her main contributions, published in peer-reviewed journals: • "Solubilized adrenal angiotensin II receptors" (1984) — Authors: M.A. Birabeau, A.M. Capponi, M.B. Vallotton. Journal: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Subject: Extraction of angiotensin II receptors using the detergent CHAPS, in rats and cattle, while preserving their specificity and affinity. • "Solubilization of Adrenal Angiotensin II Receptors With a Zwitterionic Detergent" (1983) — Authors: A.M. Capponi, M.A. Birabeau, M.B. Vallotton. Journal: Journal of Receptor Research. Subject: Innovative biochemical methodology to isolate membrane receptors while maintaining their high affinity for angiotensin II peptides. • "Solubilized active pituitary and ovarian gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors" (1983–1984) — Authors: B.P. Winiger, M.A. Birabeau, U. Lang, A.M. Capponi, P.C. Sizonenko, M.L. Aubert. Journals: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology / Life Sciences. Subject: Collaborative study on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors, a key area of molecular endocrinology. • Impact on Research and the Pharmaceutical Industry

At the time, the Geneva laboratory operated on the model of public fundamental research, favoring the open dissemination of knowledge over immediate commercialization. Although Dr. Birabeau did not file patents under her name, her discoveries directly inspired major innovations in cardiology:

• Foundations of angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARA-II): Her widely cited publications described the first reliable methods to stabilize and extract these receptors. This work was adopted by pharmaceutical groups (DuPont, Takeda, Merck) to develop molecules specifically targeting these receptors, such as sartans (Losartan, Valsartan). • High blood pressure treatments: The isolation of angiotensin II receptors enabled the development of drugs now prescribed to millions of patients, revolutionizing the management of hypertension and cardiovascular protection. • Summary

While she did not derive royalties or intellectual property rights from her discoveries, her research laid the scientific foundations without which modern cardiovascular drugs could not have been created. Her legacy thus lies in the advancement of science in the service of public health.

Novels and short stories La débauche (1924), English trans. Revelation (1930). Cited as the first novel about a homosexual man from the mother's point of view Voyage d'agrément, became 1935 movie Chfr. 35 (short story, 1928), became 1942 French movie À vos ordres, Madame Le jardin aux vingt-cinq allées (1928) Désirable (1949) La belle égarée (1965) Rendez-vous avec l'amour (1972) L'amour naît où il veut (1974)

Plays

Le coeur sur la main (1919) La peau (with Nicolas Nancey, 1919) Le bébé barbu (1920) La Femme fatale (1920), became 1946 movie Une sacrée petite blonde (with Pierre Woolf, 1921) Est-ce possible? (1923) Un jour de folie (1923) On a trouvé une femme nue (with Jean Guitton, 1923), became 1934 movie La fleur d'oranger (with Georges Dolley, 1924), became 1944 movie Fiori d'arancio Un petit nez retroussé (with Nicolas Nancey, 1924) Le chemin des écoliers (1924) Mon vieux (with Henri Bataille, 1924) Le petit péché (1924) Chifforton (1925) Un déjeuner de soleil (1925), became 1927 musical Lovely Lady, 1927 movie Breakfast at Sunrise, 1937 French movie A Picnic on the Grass, 1939 Italian movie At Your Orders, Madame L'eunuque (with Henri Duvernois, 1927) La fille et le garçon (with Georges Dolley, 1927) Le chemin des écoliers (1927) Un déjeuner d'amoureux (1927) Votre sourire (1928), became 1934 movie Côte d'Azur (with Georges Dolley, 1931), became 1932 movie Baisers perdus (1932), translated by Phyllis Roberts as Lost Kisses, became 1945 movie Lost Kisses Ma sœur de luxe (1933) Tempête sur les côtes (1933) Dame Nature (1935), English adaptation by Patricia Collinge 1939, became 1953 movie L'età dell'amore Fiston (1936), became 1937 movie My Son the Minister La Chaleur du sein (1937) aka Mother Love, became 1938 movie Pamplemousse (1937), became Theresa Helburn's Little Dark Horse (1941) Le nid (1938) Plaire (1941) Le séducteur (1945) El ojo de Moscú (written in Spanish) (1952) Souviens-toi mon amour (1954) El dúo de Manón (written in Spanish) (1926) Calor de nido (1955 Spanish trans. of Le nid) Trois pas sur le boulevard (1971) three one-act plays: L'amour avec un A majuscule, Papoupa and Le paladin.

Memoirs Tous feux éteints (1971)

Filmography Breakfast at Sunrise, directed by Malcolm St. Clair (1927, based on the play Un déjeuner de soleil) The Girl and the Boy, directed by Wilhelm Thiele and Roger Le Bon (French, 1931, based on the play La fille et le garçon) Two Hearts Beat as One, directed by Wilhelm Thiele (German, 1932, based on the play La fille et le garçon) Côte d'Azur, directed by Roger Capellani (France, 1932, based on the play Côte d'Azur) Orange Blossom, directed by Henry Roussel (France, 1932, based on the play La fleur d'oranger) Buridan's Donkey, directed by Alexandre Ryder (France, 1932, adaptation of a play by Gaston Arman de Caillavet and Robert de Flers) , directed by Léo Joannon (France, 1934, based on the play On a trouvé une femme nue) Votre sourire, directed by Monty Banks and Pierre Caron (France, 1934, based on the play Votre sourire) , directed by Christian-Jaque (France, 1935, based on the novel Voyage d'agrément) My Son the Minister, directed by Veit Harlan (Germany, 1937, based on the play Fiston) Un déjeuner de soleil, directed by (France, 1937, based on the play Un déjeuner de soleil) Mother Love (1938 film), directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1938, based on the play La Chaleur du sein) At Your Orders, Madame, directed by Mario Mattoli (Italy, 1939, based on the play Un déjeuner de soleil)

À vos ordres, Madame, directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1942, based on the short story Chfr. 35) Punto negro, directed by (Argentina, 1943, based on the play Pamplemousse) Fiori d'arancio, directed by (Italy, 1944, based on the play La fleur d'oranger) Lost Kisses, directed by Mario Soffici (Argentina, 1945, based on the play Baisers perdus) La Femme fatale, directed by Jean Boyer (France, 1946, based on the play La Femme fatale) Too Young for Love, directed by Lionello De Felice (Italy, 1953, based on the play Dame Nature)