Joan Oró, Director, Fundació Joan Oró
By Marc Amat
Joan Oró (1923-1994) was 15 years old when a question came into his head: “what am I doing in the world?”. He was not aware of it at the time, but that question and his desire to find an answer ended up making him one of the most renowned Catalan scientists in the world. Son of a family of bakers from Lleida, Oró had a brilliant career at the University of Houston, in the United States. There he made one of the most relevant scientific discoveries of the 20th century: the synthesis of adenine, one of the essential components of DNA and, therefore, a key to life. He also collaborated on NASA projects to find life beyond Earth, such as the Viking programs or the legendary Apollo program.
Despite making a career on the other side of the Atlantic, Oró cultivated a close link with the fledgling Catalan scientific community of the 1970s and 1980s, which he helped develop with the creation of numerous research centers, such as the Fundació Catalana per la Investigació i la Innovació and the current Institut de Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona, among others. Coinciding with the centennial anniversary of his birth, Catalonia is commemorating this year as Joan Oró Year, with an extensive program of activities that seek to disseminate his scientific legacy. We spoke with Joan Oró, director of the Fundació Joan Oró, about this event and how the Catalan scientist’s time in the United States was key to his professional career.
This year, 2023, Catalonia celebrates Joan Oró Year. How are you experiencing it?
On the part of the Foundation we’ve put in a lot of effort. We have prepared an extensive program of activities to publicize the figure of Joan Oró and the values he defended, but also to draw the public’s attention to the study of the origin of life and the search for life on other planets. We want to awaken scientific curiosity. For this reason, we’ve planned conferences on genetics, biology or astrophysics; a traveling exhibition that will visit the four Catalan capitals; the publication of a children’s book, a comic and a photographic book; the reissue of a biography of the scientist; a documentary; an educational project so that elementary schools and high schools can get to know the figure of Joan Oró… All this with the help of many public and private entities that have contributed to make it possible.
The activities strive to commemorate his scientific legacy, but also his values. How do you remember Joan Oró?
He was my great-uncle. I got to know him very well when I immersed myself in the more than 300 boxes of materials that he accumulated throughout his career. From my point of view, Joan Oró as a figure must be understood from two points of view. First of all, we must highlight the scientist Joan Oró, recognized worldwide for the discovery of adenine and his studies on the origin of life. However, it is also necessary to remember him as a promoter of science in Catalonia, through the creation of various research centers. He constantly thought about how to reinvest in his country the knowledge he acquired in the United States. He was an enthusiastic person with a great communicative gift.
Let’s talk about the beginnings. Oró discovered his passion for science as a teenager, in his parents’ bakery.
Yes. He was a curious child, who was always asking himself questions. One day, he began to wonder about the origin of life, and neither religion nor philosophy gave him a convincing answer. It was then that he set out to find out for himself, following the scientific method. When his mother gave him money to buy a snack, he bought chemistry books. He even created a small laboratory in the attic of his home.
After a while, he went to study in Barcelona. How did it go?
The move from Lleida to Barcelona was complicated. He encountered an enormous city. He lived in the house of one of his sisters, but he missed his family. A few months later, he returned to Lleida and continued his studies remotely, teaching himself. His indecision when entering university caused him to sign up for three majors in his first year: chemical engineering, biology and geology. Ultimately, he chose the first one.
When did the idea of making the leap to the United States first begin to appeal to him?
In 1947, after finishing his degree, he married and started a couple of businesses with his friends, selling soaps and antiseptics. He invested a large part of his savings, but none of it worked out well. Suddenly, he found himself working again in his parents’ bakery. He didn’t dislike it, but he didn’t feel fulfilled. Following his driving passion, he began to look for options to continue his progress in the world of science. In Spain, the scientific community at the time was derisory; in Germany, the post-war climate still reigned… And then he thought of the United States. He sent letters to more than 50 American universities. Of these, six offered him a scholarship to study chemical engineering. With the financial help of his family, he packed his bags and left to make his dream come true.
Of all the universities, he chose one in Houston. Why?
Houston was a hub of talent with significant scientific potential. In fact, today it’s still one of the cities with the largest number of hospitals. To give some context, the first human heart transplant was carried out in Houston. When Oró landed, he barely knew how to speak English, but his excitement and enthusiasm opened a lot of doors for him. Shortly thereafter, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine – another university in the city – offered him the chance to pursue a doctorate in Biochemistry and he accepted.
What did he find in the United States?
A very different way of working. There was a high level of scientific rigor and the country invested a lot of economic resources in the world of science. Being surrounded by this environment drove his progress in the professional field. At that time, many Catalan scientists set out on the same path as Joan Oró. Despite the distance, he was still very emotionally connected to Catalonia. His dining room was full of Catalan flags, he celebrated traditions like Sant Jordi or Sant Joan and he wrote frequently to his family.
1959 marked a before and after in his career.
Yes. That year he discovered the synthesis of adenine and he became a household name. Suddenly, he was positioned as one of the top scientists. He also began to collaborate with NASA. However, he constantly thought of Catalonia and maintained correspondence with Catalan public figures, such as the politician Jordi Pujol or the scientist Ramon Margalef. He always spoke with them about ideas and projects that he wanted to promote. He wanted all the knowledge he had acquired in the United States to serve to improve social welfare in Catalonia.
What projects did he promote?
Starting in the 1970s, he received several proposals from the Spanish government’s Ministry of Education and Science, as well as from the regional government in Catalonia. He created the Instituto de Biofísica y Neurología; el Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes; el Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Barcelona. In 1980, he was also a deputy in the Catalan Parliament, advisor to the government of Jordi Pujol and one of the promoters of the Pla Nacional d’Investigació de Catalunya, the Fundació Catalana per la Investigació i la Innovació or the Parc Astronòmic del Montsec.
In 1993 he created the Fundació Joan Oró, the entity that you direct today. What tasks has the foundation accomplished?
Joan Oró founded the organization because he wanted to bring science to citizens, universities and Catalan companies. We carry on this spirit. Now, we are fully immersed in the Oró Year. We’ve also gotten back in contact with Houston and NASA and we are working to jointly honor the scientist with a series of conferences or a round table.
