Nathalie Heuzé Vourc’h
Dr. Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc’h (Ph.D., INSERM CR1) is a senior research scientist at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Tours, France. She is deputy director of a multidisciplinary team in the Research Centre for Respiratory Diseases (CEPR, INSERM U1100) dedicated to ‘Aerosoltherapy and Biologics for Respiratory Diseases’ (team 3).
After graduating with her Ph.D. in oncology in France, she focused her research on lung diseases and obtained a postdoctoral position in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine (Dr Steven M. Dubinett) at UCLA, California. She gained interest in biotherapeutics working in a start-up (Agensys Inc., Santa Monica, California) developing anticancer monoclonal antibodies and was recruited in 2005 by INSERM as a young research scientist to continue working on this topic. Joining Pr Patrice Diot’s research group specialising in the delivery of drugs by aerosol in Tours, offered her new perspectives on her research projects as she started investigating the local delivery of biotherapeutics through the airways. She is currently supervising several projects on the multifaceted aspects of the delivery of biotherapeutics through the airways for treatments of lung diseases, from formulation to preclinical safety, with both academic and private partners.
She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. She is one of the leaders of the Laboratory of Excellence ’MabImprove’, since 2011, from the French program ‘Investments for the Future.’ She serves as a consultant to the pharma industry and is regularly invited to speak in international conferences/seminars. Moreover, she has participated in several successful projects funded by the French funding agencies (French Ministry of Defence procurement agency (DGA) Rapid grants AeroRiMac & Pneumophage) and industry (e.g. Sanofi-Genzyme).