'Pieter De Somer' (
1917 -
1985) was a
Belgian physician and
biologist. He studied medicine from 1935 up to
1942 at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (
Leuven,
Belgium). He did research and later became a professor at the Department of medicine, where he specialised in
microbiology and
immunology. In 1968, he became the first rector of the
Flemish University of Leuven. He remained rector until his death in 1985.
Pieter De Somer founded both the company
Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques and the
Rega Institute for Medical Research.