Philippe Moullier

Biography

Founder and until Dec. 2016, the Director of the research INSERM Unit UMR 1089 entitled « Translational Gene Therapy for Retinal and Neuromuscular Diseases » at the University of Nantes, France. He was also the Scientific Director of GENETHON, a nonprofit research institution, located near Paris, from Jan 2009 through Dec 2011. In 2014, he co-founded HORAMA, a spin-off dedicated to gene therapy for monogenic rare retinal diseases. He established a unique 16,150 ft2 BL2/BL3 confined large animal core facility located at the Nantes veterinary school. He was also key in the establishment of a full GMP-compliant manufacturing facility operated today by the Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) located in Nantes. From 2006 until Jan 2016, Dr. Moullier was an Adjunct Professor at the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department at the University of Florida, USA. Dr. Moullier supervised more than 85 people scattered among the research groups in Nantes, the core facilities and administration, including junior faculty, post-docs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and technicians. His research efforts are focused on: (i) the basic virology of Adeno-Associated Virus with translational developments in recombinant virus assembly; (ii) the preclinical evaluation of recombinant viral vectors in large animal models of rare genetic disorders; (iii) the establishment of Phase I/II human clinical trials in retina and neuromuscular diseases; and (iv) basic viral vector biology (immunology and vector maintenance) in large animal models. Prior to joining the University of Nantes, Dr. Moullier conducted research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia where he was engaged in the development of MLV and adenovirus-derived recombinant viral vectors and their in vivo application.

Research Interest

Dr. Moullier was a postdoctoral fellow at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, received his PhD degree in Biochemistry from the University of Paris (Mentor Pr Donny Strosberg) and obtained a Master in Immunology at the Pasteur Institute. He also was an intern in nephrology and internal medicine, and received his MD degree from the University of Paris (mentor: Pr Claude Amiel). Dr. Moullier has authored over 120 original publications describing virus biology, viral vector development, gene transfer and genetic diseases. He served as an expert to the EMA and at the ANSM Gene Therapy Advisory Board and is a world-renowned expert in viral vector development and in gene therapy translational research.