Jean-François Borel (born 4 July 1933 in Antwerp, Belgium) is a Belgian microbiologist and immunologist who is considered one of the discoverers of cyclosporin.
Borel studied at the University of Antwerp and the ETH Zurich, where he received his doctorate in immunological genetics in 1964.
The screening program at Sandoz was previously developed by K. Saameli (and Stähelin) and the immunological testing procedures of S. Lazary.
When it was realized that the substance had only T-cells and therefore had potential in transplantation medicine, Borel aroused much attention in 1976 at a congress in London.
In the practice of organ transplantation, the new drug was tested in 1977 by the British surgeon Roy Yorke Calne.