Scientific Advisory Board
GENFIT’s Scientific Advisory Board is made up of six members who are internationally-recognized key opinion leaders in the field of of metabolic and inflammatory diseases, with a particular focus on the liver and gastroenterology. The Scientific Advisory Board is chaired by Professor Bart Staels, Co-founder of GENFIT.
Professeur Bart Staels
Co-founder of GENFIT, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board
Bart Staels has a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Leuven in Belgium, and is Full Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lille, France. He is Director of the Inserm Unit UMR 1011 (ranked excellent by AERES, the French agency evaluating research and higher education institutions, and Inserm), with laboratories located on the Institut Pasteur and Medical Research campuses in Lille.
Throughout his career, his research has focused on the pathophysiological mechanisms and molecular pharmacology of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In particular, he has studied the role of nuclear receptors in controlling inflammation, metabolism, lipid and glucose homeostasis as well as the transcription mechanisms involved. Bart Staels is a member of several learned societies such as the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS), the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS -distinguished member), the French Atherosclerosis Society (NSFA – past-president), the French Diabetes Society (SFD), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), the European and American Associations for the Study of Liver Disease (EASL and AASLD).
He was awarded the Young Investigator prize by the EAS, the bronze medal by the CNRS (National Scientific Research Center), the Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Atherosclerosis Society, the Barré pharmaceutical prize from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Montreal, the JP Binet prize by the French Foundation of Medical Research and the “Distinguished Leader in Insulin Resistance” prize by the International Committee for Insulin Resistance (ICIR).
He is the author of more than 820 scientific publications including 200 review articles and several book chapters.
Professeur Vlad Ratziu
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Professor of Medicine at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, he performs his hospital work at the La Pitié Salpetrière Hospital. His activity as a hepatologist, in particular in the field of NASH, made him one of the European leaders in this field.
Professeur Michael Trauner
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Professor of Medicine and consultant at the University academic hospital of Graz (Austria). He is a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology. He is internationally recognized for his work in the field of hepatobiliary diseases (PBC, PSC).
Professeur Scott Friedman
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Professor of medicine and pharmacology, he is the Chief of the Division of Liver Diseases and Director of the Liver Research Laboratory at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. His work in the field of fibrosis associated with chronic liver diseases is internationally recognized.
He is the assistant editor-in-chief of the Hepatology review and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Gastroenterolgy and Hepatology.
Professeur Arun Sanyal
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Doctor Arun Sanyal is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Gastroenterology at the Medical Center of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, USA. Former President of the AASLD (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases), Professor Arun Sanyal is considered as one of the greatest specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of NASH.
Professeur Jean-Frédéric Colombel
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
Professor Jean-Frédéric Colombel is a gastroenterologist and currently the head of the Center of Inflammatory Diseases of the Intestine at the Department of Gastroenterology of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Member of the learned society IOIBD (International Organization of Inflammatory Bowel Disease) since 2009, and scientific adviser to the AGA (American Gastroenterological Association) since 2006, he has also been chairman of several international organizations, including the ECCO (European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization).