Alzprotect brings together experts in neurodegeneration and confirmed skills in pharmaceutical and clinical development, as well as experienced managers from the pharmaceutical industry.
Executive Board
Philippe Verwaerde
PhD
Chief Executive Officer / Chief Scientific Officer
Philippe Verwaerde has 35 years of international experience (USA, FR, BE, IT, SW) in academic research, pharmaceutical industry, at Organon, GlaxoWellcome and Biovitrum. He also has been involved in biotech companies, including DevGen and Genfit.
He is the co-founder of Vivactis and iNovacia, a Swedish company of pharmaceutical services, as vice-president of Molecular Pharmacology.
Olivier Defert, PhD, Chief Operating Officer
Olivier has over 20 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. This qualified medicinal chemist held leadership positions at BioVersys SAS and Tarsier Pharma, among others. In 2010, he co-founded Amakem NV, where he managed preclinical development, and medicinal chemistry. He supported a number of Biotech companies as a consultant for many years prior to joining Alzprotect.
Artin Karapet, MD, Chief Medical Officer
Artin is Franco-American, he is a medical doctor, with a specialization in epidemiology. He has more than 10 years of experience in clinical development, particularly in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. He has worked for the companies Ixaka, Sensorion, PharNext, Enyo and HRA pharma.
Project team
Board of Directors
François-René Letourneur
Chairman of the Board of Directors at Finovam, François-René Letourneur is a very experienced venture capital investor and manager.
His expertise covers multiple high-tech sectors and the management of international fast-growing companies.
Pierre Le Sourd
MD, Cardiologist,
Columbia University Graduate
Pierre Le Sourd has been the Chair of Specia Laboratories, of the group Juveinal, then Bristol-Myers Squibb France and the group UPSA.
He has also served as a Chair for Leem (Les Entreprises du Médicament) and as a Vice-Chair for the French Federation of Health industries (Fédération Française des Industries de Santé, FEFIS).
He is currently Chief Financial Officer at XERYS, Director of ABCD Innovation, and Treasurer of the Automobile Club Médical in France.
He contributes to Alzprotect with his excellent knowledge of pharmaceutical markets, with both a medical and an industrial approach.
Pierre Besançon
Pierre Besançon, previously a Professor in Pharmacy, is the successor to former Laboratoires Delagrange. He is an experienced private investor in the field of biotech companies both in Europe and in the United States.
Jacqueline Lecourtier
Jacqueline Lecourtier is a graduate in chemical engineering and made her professional debut at the CNRS as a research fellow. She then joined the French Petroleum Institute (Institut Français du Pétrole, IFP) as a scientific director.
Former CEO of the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), she currently acts as a Corporate Director for chemical industry companies: Carbios, Optimum Hydrocarbon Technologies, and PCAS, a French chemical group.
Her strategic approach of research and her industrial experience are valuable for the development of Alzprotect.
Philippe Verwaerde
Président d’Alzprotect
Pr Christian Bailly
Professor Christian Bailly brings to Alzprotect substantial expertise in pharmaceutical research and life sciences, built over more than 30 years of experience. Currently an Associate Professor at the University of Lille and an independent consultant for the pharmaceutical industry, Professor Bailly has also held leadership roles in the pharmaceutical sector, notably as Director of Research and Development at Pierre Fabre Médicament.
Renowned for his skills in drug discovery and fostering collaborations between academia and industry, Professor Bailly has led multiple research centers and overseen innovative programs that have resulted in the development of new therapies.
Scientific Advisory Board
Professor Adam Boxer
MD, PhD
Professor Adam Boxer is a neurologist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he directs the Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia Clinical Trials Program. A leading key opinion leader in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), he serves as principal investigator of the PSP Clinical Trial Platform (PTP) Umbrella study. His work focuses on accelerating innovative therapeutic approaches for PSP and related neurodegenerative diseases.
Professor Günter Höglinger
MD, PhD
Professor Günter Höglinger is Chair of Neurology at the Technical University of Munich and a key opinion leader in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Internationally recognized for his expertise in movement disorders, he has contributed major advances from disease mechanisms to clinical trials, positioning him at the forefront of therapeutic development in PSP and related neurodegenerative diseases
Professor Luc Defebvre
MD, PhD
Professor Luc Defebvre is a neurologist at Lille University Hospital and Professor at the University of Lille. He is a recognized expert in movement disorders, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes, including Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). He leads clinical research and coordinates national and international collaborations, contributing to advances in diagnosis and therapeutic development
Professor Jean-Christophe Corvol
MD, PhD
Professor Jean-Christophe Corvol is a neurologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris and a leading expert in movement disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). He is Professor of Neurology at Sorbonne University and heads clinical research programs on neurodegenerative diseases. His work focuses on biomarkers, genetics, and innovative therapeutic strategies, positioning him as a key opinion leader in the field.