The history of the Jacques Armand Institute
Jacques was the first name of Michael’s and Delphine’s paternal grandfather, and Bernadette’s stepfather. Armand was his middle name. He lived for over twenty years with Parkinson’s disease, whose symptoms, including tremors and the characteristic gait that caused sometimes surprising situations, marked our childhood memories. Several brothers and Jacques’ sister were also affected by a neurodegenerative disease.
Emilie, Michael and Delphine’s sister, studied at university for nearly 10 years to earn a PharmD and a PhD in biology. During her post-doc in 2012, she discovered a mechanism involved in the death of neurons. Emilie hypothesized that blocking this mechanism reduces the accumulation of dying neurons and slows down neurodegeneration, a characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. To maximize the chances of successfully developing a drug based on this discovery, Emilie decided to join the major pharmaceutical groups (Roche, Novartis, Bristol-Myers-Squibb) for nearly 10 years to learn at each stage of development the constraints and possible optimizations to succeed in this development of new therapies. Now armed with this knowledge and experience, Emilie dedicates herself 100% to the Institute’s project; to develop a drug to stop neurodegenerative diseases.
Michael is a recognized and well-known business leader with a strong sense of communication, which is essential to persuading partners and collaborators. Delphine has been a general practitioner for more than 10 years and will allow the project to keep the reality of the field at every stage. Bernadette, a rare disease sufferer and patient referent for an association of patients, combines the experience of the disease and the qualities of an outstanding manager. We believe that this team brings together all the skills to carry out the Institute’s missions and to help shape a society where our elders live with dignity.
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