People

Management

Jérôme Becquart, PhD: CEO.
Experienced in the creation of biotech start-ups as founder and consultant at Innovaction Jérôme has previously gained a 20 years experience in pharmaceutical R&D at Aventis where he managing positions in biotechnology and lead discovery and was a member of R&D scientific board in France. He has an engineer degree from l’Ecole Centrale de Paris and a PhD in Biochemistry.

Bénédicte Menn, PhD: Founder and project leader.
Since 2003, Bénédicte has headed Neurokin’s laboratory programs. She holds a PhD on TrkC tyrosine kinase receptors and on the brain neurotrophic factor NT-3. Bénédicte also gained postdoctoral experience in the US in Pr Alvarez Buylla ‘s laboratory on adult neural stem cells.


Scientific advisory board

Pr. Serge Timsit, MD, PhD: Founder and scientific advisor.
Neurologist, Serge has a 15 years experience in stroke. He is Professor at Brest hospital and Head of Neurology Department and of the Stroke unit. The demonstration of the neuroprotective effect of some CDK inhibitors during his post-doc leads to the creation of Neurokin. He participated in 1995 to the creation of Neurotech. He trained at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (Paris) and Columbia Presbyterian hostipal (New York).

Yehezkel Ben-Ari, PhD: Founder and scientific advisor. 
Y. Ben-Ari is director of INSERM U901 (former U29) unit and of INMED (Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée). Electro-physiologist by training, he is worldwide recognized for his pioneering work in epilepsy, ischemia and glutamate receptor physiology. He was among the first to identify the apoptosis mechanisms occurring ischemia and epilepsy.


Board

Jerome Becquart, president

Inserm Transfert Initiative represented by Louis Jammayrac

Bernard Reculeau, independent

Michel Kaczorek, PhD, independent, Serenitude Biotech