CV Science

Catherine Boisson-Vidal Research director CNRS, PhD Biomedical Engineering, Unit deputy director

Course and current status

Education

• PhD “Biological and Medical Engineering”, Paris13 University France. 1984
• Doctorat d’Etat es Sciences Physiques (HDR), Paris 13 University, France 1990

Current position

• Senior Research Director CNRS (DR2) since 2003
• Deputy director UMR_S 1140 (Ithem) since 2011

Previous positions

• 1989-2003: Senior Researcher CNRS, CNRS UMR7540 , Villetaneuse, France
• 1998-2003: consulting researcher, Bioracs then Therapol (SARL) Biomédical Engineering; Scientific and technical engineering company. Business in the R&D of natural and synthetic polymers of therapeutic interest.
• 1997-1998: BIORACS Management Team Member. Contribution to the creation of the company (Lonay, Suisse). The company’s objective was 1) to manufacture a polymer quantity large enough to run an industrial pilot performing the ex-vivo purification of A haemophilic plasmas removing their inhibitors; 2) to industrially develop these polymers.Responsible for transferring polymer technology to BIORACS and controlling the conformity of the production.
• 1985-1989: Research Assistant CNRS, Laboratoire de Recherches sur les Macromolécules (LRM) CNRS UMR 7540, Villetaneuse, France
• 1984-1985: Post-doctoral fellow, Chemistry Department, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Prof J.L. Brash

Scientific expertise

• Independent expert for national grants ANR, Emergence TEC CIFRE... (since 2007)
• Member of Evaluation Committee, Quebec’s Resarch Fund (FCAR) Canada (1999-2001).
• Member of Evaluation Committee, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Ottawa, Canada (1998)
• Chairman scientific committee (research ingenieur, assistant professor, professor) 2008, 2020, 2021
• Member scientific committee (assistant professor, research ingeneer) 2006, 2007, 2011, 

Awards

• Young investigator award Novo-Nordisk 1998
• Young Investigator award from the Ministère des Affaires Etrangères 1992
• Young Investigator award from the Ministère de l’Education et de la Recherche  1982

Scientific summary

Chemist polymerist by training, I dedicated the first 17 years of my career to the biomaterials, working at the Research Laboratory of Macromolecules (CNRS, Villetaneuse, France). My work was devoted to the structure/biological properties relationships of natural and synthetic polymers (biomaterials) endowed with specific biological properties, as potential pharmaceutical agents. It was carried out with the aim of developing new therapeutics mainly in the field of hemostasis and led to the filing of 5 European or worldwide patent applications and the creation of a scientific and technical engineering company “BIORACS that became THERAPOL (SARL) Biomedical Engineering 1997-2012” dedicated to the development of devices for removing the Factor VIII inhibitors in haemophiliac patients (scientific board member (1997-1999, consulting researcher for 6 years 1997-2003).

Responsible for the collaboration between IFREMER ” Département Utilisation et Valorisation des Produits de la Mer ” and our research unit over the time period 1989-2000, I have supervised many research projects with the objectives of 1- Elaborating methods to prepare antithrombotic fractions of low molecular weight fucoidan in a reproducible manner, and 2- Studying the relationship between structure and properties to optimize the fucoidan biological activities (2). This work led to the filing of 3 European or worldwide patent applications and several ANVAR and R & D programs (Fournier Laboratories).

In 2003, I progressively shifted towards the study of the proangiogenic properties of fucoidan and joined the UMRS1140 at the faculty of Pharmacy of Paris. By the meantime, I developed new therapeutic approaches based on stem cell therapy. In particular, I have developed new pre-conditioning protocols to improve stem cells incorporation into sites of neovascularization. The aim of these new projects is to increase the effectiveness of cell therapy in the treatment of ischemic diseases. This could be done through better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the mobilization, recruitment, differentiation and survival of vasculogenic stem cells, and the role played by molecules produced by the surrounding cells. My projects also focus on the properties of sulphated polysaccharides on tissue regeneration.