Jean-Jacques Toulmé

Jean-Jacques Toulmé, trained both in chemistry and in biochemistry at the University of Orléans got his PhD in Physical Sciences at the University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (1982). As an Associate Professor at the Museum of Natural History (Paris) he investigated nucleic acid protein-interactions, with particular interest for RNaseH-oligonucleotides complexes. He moved to the University of Bordeaux in 1990 where he worked on antisense oligonucleotides for controlling the development of protozoan parasites and viruses. At the head of the Molecular Biophysics Laboratory (1994-2006) and then of the Inserm Unit « RNA : Natural and Artficial Regulations» (until December 2014) he focused his activity on viral RNA structures, making use of combinatorial methods for developing artificial gene regulators. At the University of Bordeaux he chaired the “Department of Infectious Diseases » (1997-2000) and took the scientific direction of the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology (2000-2014). He chaired the committee for research at the Conseil régional d’Aquitaine (2012-2016). In 2015 he joined the steering committee of the Bordeaux Initiative of Excellence (IdEx) where he is in charge of research programmes. He founded Novaptech in 2008, a start up company providing aptamer-based devices to both academic labs and companies. J.-J. Toulmé is presently CSO at Novaptech, Emeritus Research Director at Inserm and Honorary Director of the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology. The work of his group is devoted to the improvement of in vitro selection procedures and to the design of aptamers.