Patrick Couvreur

Patrick Couvreur, born 1950 in Schaerbeek (Brussels), is a French pharmacologist who specialises in medical nanotechnology and is currently professor at the University of Paris-Sud. followed by a diploma in pharmacy in 1972, at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). Christian de Duve, who was an inspiration for his subsequent career.

From 1976 to 1977 he was a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, before joining the Catholic University of Louvain, first as a senior research assistant, and then as a senior researcher.

In 2009–2010, he held the Liliane Bettencourt Chair of Technological Innovation at the Collège de France.

He has three children and several grandchildren.

Principal achievements Patrick Couvreur is known for his work in the field of drug vectorization for the treatment of cancer.

In 1997 he founded BioAlliance, a company that employs more than 60 people.

Prizes and distinctions Patrick Couvreur was awarded the Prix Galien in 2009 for his work on "squalenization", a significant advance in drug vectorization that involves coupling an active ingredient with squalene.

On 20 June 2012, he shared the CNRS Innovation Medal with Alain Benoit and José-Alain Sahel.

In 2013 Patrick Couvreur was awarded the European Inventor Award for his work on nanocapsules for cancer treatment.