CV Science

Judith Favier Judith FAVIER, PhD, DR2

Course and current status

After a PhD training in the Collège de France (Paris) and a post-doc at the Montreal Heart Institute focused on the study of HIF2alpha and its role in angiogenesis, I have been recruited by Inserm in 2007. I now lead a research team at the Paris-Cardiovascular Research Centre of the Georges Pompidou Hospital (HEGP) in Paris dedicated to the study of the genetics and biology of rare cancers, and in particular pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. our research activity mainly focuses on inherited forms caused by mutations in genes encoding the mitochondrial enzyme sucinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and their role in pseudo-hypoxia, epithelial-to mesenchymal transition and epigenetic modifications.

Academic position

• 2022: Research Director class 1 (DR1 Inserm) – PARCC-HEGP
• 019: Team Leader, Inserm team "Genetics and Metabolism of Rare Cancers"
• 2014-2021: Research Director (DR2 Inserm) – PARCC-HEGP

• 2014-2018: co-Team Leader– PARCC-HEGP
• 2011-2014: Senior Researcher (CR1 Inserm) - PARCC-HEGP
• 2009: Group leader of the “PPGL” laboratory - PARCC-HEGP, Paris
• 2007-2011: Junior Researcher (CR2 Inserm) - Collège de France and PARCC-HEGP

Participation to scientific committees

• 2021-now: Head of the PPGL working group of ENS@T
• 2018-now: Associate Editor at Endocrine-related Cancer
• 2018-2021: Elected member of the PPGL working group of ENS@T
• 2017-2021: Member of the Scientific comitee of the French Society of Endocrinology (SFE)
• 2016-now: Member of INSERM commission CSS2
• 2015-now: Co-chair of the Pheochromocytoma Research Support Organization (PRESSOR).
• 2015-now: Member of the “Rare Cancers” working group from the Cancéropôle Ile de France
• 2010-now: Member of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENS@T)
• 2009-now: Co-Chairman of the «Animals models» working group from PRESSOR.

Awards

• 2002: Young Researchers award (Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller)
• 2013-now: Prize of Scientific Excellence 

Scientific summary

Our team develops a basic, translational and clinical research project dedicated to pheochromocytoma/ paraganglioma (PPGL), rare neuroendocrine tumors that cause secondary hypertension.  These tumors have a very strong genetic component and around 70% of all cases are now explained by a germline or a somatic mutation in one of the 13 susceptibility genes identified so far.
Our research is particularly focused on deciphering the mechanisms associated with mutations in genes encoding a mitochondrial enzyme, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), with the aim of improving the understanding of PPGL as a model to decipher the mechanisms linking cell metabolism, angiogenesis, epigenetic reprogramming and carcinogenesis.
Our research is of interest for both medical and scientific actors in charge of the patients affected by the disease or implicated in the research on fundamental aspects of angiogenesis, metabolism and oncology .