Scientific and medical board

Thierry MAUGARD

Thierry is a professor of biochemistry in the Biotechnology Department at Université de La Rochelle.
Thierry has a PhD from the University of Toulouse (1996). He conducts his research in the LIENSs unit at the CNRS, where he oversees the “Action and Dysfunction Mechanism” research for the “Molecular Approaches to the Environment and Health” team at the laboratory, a multidisciplinary team that is working on biotech engineering approaches to obtain active molecules with significant health benefits.
His research activities include:

  • Development of green bioprocesses for transforming and adding value to marine and agricultural resources for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors;
  • Development of new enzyme synthesis and transformation routes for biomolecules of interest;
  • Development of innovative systems for selective therapeutic treatment, diagnostics and the vectorization of actives.

Thierry has supervised or co-supervised 11 doctoral theses, three of which are in progress. He has authored more than 63 scientific publications and has signed 10 patents.

Nathalie BOISSEAU 

Nathalie is a professor of sports physiology at the Clermont-Ferrand UFR STAPS. She also directs the Adapted Physical Activity and Health Master’s program at the Clermont-Ferrand UFR STAPS.
Nathalie has a PhD from the Université de Rennes 2 in exercise physiology and continued her post-doctoral research at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Nathalie belongs to several national and international academic societies in the field of physical activity and nutrition. Her research focuses on changes in energy metabolism with regards to the sex, body composition, or nutritional status of subjects. Her research, which is conducted on human and animal models, applies to both healthy populations and those with metabolic pathologies. She participates in many conferences and congresses, and teaches at the Université Clermont Auvergne.
Nathalie belongs to several national and international academic societies in the field of physical exercise and nutrition.
She has published more than 55 original articles, three books and more than 12 chapters in collective French and international publications.

Jean-Marie BARD 

Jean-Marie is a professor of biochemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Head of the Biopathology Department at the Institute for Cancer Research in Western France (ICO) in Nantes. He came to Nantes in 1995 after nine years at the Institut Pasteur in Lille as a Research Assistant and 16 months as a post-doctoral student at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City in the US. His research focuses on biochemistry and lipoprotein metabolism, as well as clinical research on nutrition in a variety of clinical situations. His research group is part of the Research Center in Human Nutrition (CRNH) for Western France.
The major areas of research currently underway by his team involve the interaction between lipids and other biomolecules with the liver X receptor (LXR), the consequences of this interaction on cholesterol metabolism and cell proliferation, and identifying biomarkers regarding the influence of diet on breast cancer. He has co-authored 133 international publications.
Jean-Marie is a member of a number of academic societies: SFN (Société Française de Nutrition), ASN (American Society of Nutrition), NSFA (Nouvelle Société Française d’Athérosclérose), NACRe (Réseau Nutrition, Alimentation et Cancer) and Institut Danone. He is an expert with the French Department of Research (MENRT) and a scientific expert for Biofortis, a company which he co-founded in 2002 (integrated into the Mérieux NutriSciences group in 2009).

Samy HADJADJ 

Samy is a professor of endocrinology, diabetology and metabolic diseases at the Nantes Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. He is also a hospital practitioner at the Nantes CHU. He conducts research for the Poitiers clinical investigation center, where he is working on the renewal project for the 2018-2022 contract.
He is a medical doctor, specialized in endocrinology. After studying at Clermont-Ferrand, he graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from the Université de Nancy in 1995, then as a specialist in endocrinology, diabetology and metabolic diseases in 1997. In 2000, he also obtained an advanced diploma in Higher Education in Nutrition from the Université d’Angers.
His work focuses on microvascular and macrovascular complications due to diabetes mellitus and obesity. He spent a sabbatical year in the nephrology department of the Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina (US).
His clinical research has helped to demonstrate the role of genetic variants in microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus and obesity and to identify the role of decreased renal function as a key health factor for diabetic subjects.
Samy was the Secretary General of the Francophone Diabetes Society and the Secretary of the European Diabetic Nephropathy Study Group (EDNSG).

Bruno GUIGAS

Bruno is an assistant professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands, teaching in the molecular and cellular biology and parasitology departments. He has a degree in Bioenergetics, and a PhD from the Université de Grenoble (2003), as well as a post-doctoral degree from the De Duve Institute of Brussels in Belgium. His research, conducted on both human and animal models, focuses on studying the pathophysiology of obesity and type-2 diabetes on the molecular level. His previous work on Metformin contributed to a better understanding of the cellular mechanism of action of this diabetic treatment medication.
With the aim of developing innovative approaches for treating metabolic diseases, the majority of Bruno’s current projects center around the emerging field of immunometabolism and the study of interactions between immune and metabolic cells in the primary regulatory organs involved in glucose homeostasis. Bruno has supervised or co-supervised seven doctoral theses and has authored more than 70 publications for international peer-reviewed journals.

André MARETTE

André is a full professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval in Canada. He is also a researcher at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and serves as the Scientific Director of the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) at Université Laval. He holds a research chair on the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. André’s work on the causes of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and on treating these conditions, has been published in more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. He has been the recipient of several awards including the prestigious Charles Best Lectureship Award from the University of Toronto.
This international award was granted to André in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the advancement of diabetes research. He is the Editor in Chief of the renowned scientific journal The American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology & Metabolism, and sits on the editorial committee for the journal Médecine/Sciences.

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