Aziza Laban

Moroccan chemist who developed life-saving medical compounds during the Algerian War

Aziza Laban (1928-1999) was a pioneering Moroccan chemist whose wartime innovations saved thousands of lives. Born in Tangier to a Jewish-Berber family, she studied chemistry in Paris but returned to Casablanco in 1952 to work on pharmaceutical research. During the Algerian War (1954-1962), she developed portable medical kits that revolutionized battlefield medicine.

Her most significant contribution was the Laban Compound, a stable penicillin formulation that could be stored without refrigeration - crucial for North African climates. This invention reduced post-operative infections by 70% in field hospitals. She also created the first mobile blood banks using her patent-pending anticoagulant tablets.

Despite facing anti-Jewish sentiment, she trained over 200 nurses from all ethnic backgrounds through her Science for All initiative. Her 1965 book Chemistry in the Crucible became a standard text in African medical schools. The World Health Organization credited her 1968 report on antibiotic resistance as foundational to modern pharmaceutical policies. Her legacy is preserved in the Aziza Laban Prize for medical innovation in MENA countries.