CV Science

Pierre Layrolle PhD in Biomaterials and tissue engineering

Course and current status

Current position:

INSERM Director of research (DR1) 

INSERM U1214, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center (ToNIC), CHU Purpan, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse

Head of the research team 3D Chip '3D bioprinting of human tissues and organoids'

Previous experience: 

1991-1994     PhD in Biomaterials at the Engineering School of Chemistry of Toulouse. Synthesis of calcium phosphates in organic solvents. Director: Prof. Christian Rey

1995-1997     Post-doctoral researcher in Tsukuba (Japan). Preparation and biological study of Zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite bioceramics. Director: Dr. Atsuo Ito

1997-2002     Senior Research Scientist at ISOTIS Orthobiologics SA (The Netherlands) Head of the bioceramics group, Directors: Profs. Klaas de Groot and Clemens van Blitterswijk

2002-2003   Head of the Materials Department; Technology transfer centre, Le Mans

2003-2020   Director of Research at INSERM, Nantes. Head of a research team on bone tissue engineering

2010-now    Co-founder of the spinoff company BIOMEDICAL TISSUES  www.biometiss.com. Invention of synthetic extracellular matrix.

2010-2015   Coordinator of the FP7 REBORNE project, 24 partners, 12 m€ for clinical bone regeneration with stem cells and biomaterials in orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeries 

2017-2022   Partner of the H2020 ORTHOUNION project, 6 m€ conducting a randomized clinical trials with stem cells and biomaterials on long bone non union fractures

2018-2022   Coordinator of the H2020 MAXIBONE project, 12 partners, 6 m€, conducting a randomized clinical trial in personalised maxillofacial bone regenration with stem cells and biomaterials

Scientific summary

Pierre Layrolle has extensive experience in tissue engineering research both in industry and academia. He obtained his PhD in biomaterials in 1994 at the Polytechnic National Institute of Toulouse (FR) and his thesis was awarded the Leopold Escande prize. He completed his postdoctoral studies in Japan and later joined the tissue engineering company IsoTis (NL) prior to enter INSERM in Nantes. He was awarded the Jean Leray prize from the European Society for Biomaterials in 2007 and the 'Etoile de l'Europe' award from the French Ministry of Research in 2015. He recently moved to ToNIC to conduct research in 3D bioprinting of human osteoarticular tissues and brain organoids. 

Pierre Layrolle is inventor of 15 patents, authored about 250 peer-reviewed publications, member of the Editorial board of several journals (Acta Biomaterialia, Biomedical Materials, J Mater Sci Mater Med, Scientific Reports, Front Bioeng Biotech) and regularly invited to present at international conferences. He has also organized as chairman several conferences such as the European Society for Biomaterials in 2006, Bioceramics 20 in 2007, the European Orthopaedic Research Society conference in 2014 and the TERMIS workshop 3D bioprinting in cancer research in 2019.