Obituary, in memory of Prof. Dr. Frans Claas
It is with great sadness that we received the message about the sudden death of our dear friend and colleague Prof. Dr. Frans Claas. He passed away suddenly on Sunday, February 2, 2025, while on holiday in South Africa.
Over the years, Frans has been closely involved with our organization. He took on many different roles following in the footsteps of his mentor Prof. Dr. Jon van Rood, the founder of Eurotransplant. Frans was the founder of the Eurotransplant Reference Lab (ETRL) and took on the role of director of ETRL between 1985-2020. He even came back to Eurotransplant to serve as interim Medical Director between 2023-2024. We were very honored that Frans took on this task.
Frans worked tirelessly within the field of transplantation and immunology. He was closely involved with EFI, Europdonor (Matchis), the Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS), Eurocord, ASHI, the University of Antwerp, the University of Leiden, and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Above all, Frans was supremely generous at sharing his knowledge and expertise worldwide and was a great believer in the strength of international collaboration.
“We will remember Frans for his special and warm personality. He had a great smile that was contagious. Frans spoke passionately about his field and was always ready to give advice or a helping hand. His dedication to transplant immunology, his expertise and passion about his field has left a lasting impression on many of us. Frans will be greatly missed.”
Our thoughts and sincere condolences extend to Frans’s wife, Ilse, and family, also to his colleagues and close friends throughout the world at this difficult time.