our company
Team
The Urosphere team combines scientific knowledge with expertise and experience to build a trusting relationship with our partners, providing the highest quality services.
PHILIPPE LLUEL
Ph.D. – CEO, FOUNDER
Philippe has spent over 20 years in research and management positions in the pharmaceutical industry. He has extensive experience in drug discovery in the urological field (mainly BPH, urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, kidney pathologies and aging). Throughout his career, Philippe has been involved in all aspects of drug development from discovery through to registration. His personal research interests are focused on the development of improved in vivo experimental models to facilitate the translation from preclinical to clinical studies. Philippe received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris, France). He is the author of 25 peer-reviewed publications.
Nathalie Risse
Ph.D. - Financial and Administration Manager
Nathalie obtained her doctorate in molecular neurobiology in 1995 in Toulouse (France) and continued her postdoctoral research work at Guy’s Hospital (London, UK) for three years. Since then, she has seized opportunities to support the development of innovative CROs by training in the administrative and financial aspects of innovation. Completing her scientific background by acquiring new skills in business administration, finance, quality and security, Nathalie was appointed Administrative and Financial Manager at Urosphere in 2011. Today, she manages administration, safety issues as well as the financing of innovation work carried out within the company.
CLAIRE BERAUD
PH.D., PHARM. D – Head of PDX development
Claire has over ten years of oncological research experience. Her initial education in pharmaceutical sciences took place in Toulouse, France. She then joined the Curie Institute in Paris, France, in 2004 and received her Ph.D in molecular and cellular biology four years later. Between 2009/2010, she worked as a post-doctoral research scientist on renal cell carcinoma in Strasbourg (Inserm U682). She worked on the development and characterization of Urolead PDX models between 2010 and 2018.
VÉRONIQUE GUILLOTEAU
Ph.D. – Head of Functional Pathology Unit
Véronique received her Ph.D. in animal physiology and pharmacology from Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France, in 1996. Next, she had an academic experience in visceral pain (neurophysiology) in the University of Iowa (IA, USA). On moving back to France, Véronique held a position of senior scientist in the gastrointestinal department of Pfizer based in Paris. In 2004, Véronique worked as Project Manager in Pelvipharm. In 2007, Veronique joined Urosphere as Project Manager and is now in charge of functional urology unit.
MOÈZ REKIK
Ph.D.- Quality Assurance manager
Moèz joined Urosphere in 2005 as a laboratory manager. He received a Ph.D. in gastrointestinal Pharmacology from Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France, before moving to the School of Medicine at East Carolina University (NC, USA) as a researcher and instructor in cardiovascular pharmacology. On returning to France, Moèz held the position of Project Manager in Safety Pharmacology at Porsolt and Partners Pharmacology, a French preclinical CRO based in Paris. Since 2018, Moèz has been responsible for the implementation, development and certification of Urosphere’s Quality Management System in accordance with ISO9001 standards. In addition to his line management responsibility, Moèz is part of Urosphere’s scientific team of in vitro pharmacology experts.
CÉLINE ROUGET
Ph.D. head of In vitro assays department
Céline received her Ph.D. in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology from René Descartes Paris V University in 2004. She has academic experience in functional studies on isolated tissues and worked as a scientist researcher at the Sanofi-Aventis research center in Milan, Italy. Céline joined Urosphere in 2009. She is in charge of the in vitro pharmacology department and is responsible for coordinating in vitro efficacy studies in animal and human isolated tissues.
Eric Huyghe
M.D., Professor of Urology, Department of Urology at Rangueil college of Medicine, Toulouse, France
Eric Huyghe, M.D., Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at Rangueil college of Medicine, Toulouse, France, is currently co-director of research unit UMR 1203 entitled DEFE (Development, Embryo, Fertility, Environment) jointly operated by INSERM, the University of Toulouse and the University of Montpellier.
Eric's major topics are male genital development and fertility, testis cancer, Peyronies’ disease and the genital impact of cancer treatment. He completed a PhD on reproduction after cancer in collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston ( Dept of experimental radiations and Dept of Behavioral Science).
Eric is a member of the EORTC board on oncofertility and oncosexuality. He presently leads a program funded by France's Occitanie region to study the male genital tract and testicular organoids.
Eric's major topics are male genital development and fertility, testis cancer, Peyronies’ disease and the genital impact of cancer treatment. He completed a PhD on reproduction after cancer in collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston ( Dept of experimental radiations and Dept of Behavioral Science).
Eric is a member of the EORTC board on oncofertility and oncosexuality. He presently leads a program funded by France's Occitanie region to study the male genital tract and testicular organoids.
In teaching, he in charge of several national educational programs in sexology (Inter-University Diploma of Sexology, Inter-University Diploma of Study of Human Sexuality, Inter-University Diploma in Oncosexology). As a member of the French College of Urology, he is a member of the educational board of the French national teaching for Urology residents in Andrology and Medical and Biological Reproduction (FST MBDR-Andrology).
Eric is president of the French Committee of Andrology and Sexual Medicine from the French Association of Urology, and-president of the French College of Sexology and sexual health, and administrator of the French speaking Society of Sexual Medicine. He is involved in many organizing activities in the domain of male fertility and sexual health. The INCa notably asked him to coordinate the French Recommendations for "preservation after Cancer ".
Pascal RISCHMANN
Professor of Urology at Paul Sabatier University and former Chairman of the Department of Urology, kidney transplantation and Andrology (1999-2016) at Rangueil University Hospital in Toulouse, France
Pascal Rischmann is Professor of Urology at Paul Sabatier University and a former Chairman of the Department of Urology, kidney transplantation and Andrology (1999-2016) at Rangueil University Hospital in Toulouse, France. He is also a former President of the Association Française d’Urologie (2007-2010). During his career, Professor Rischmann's main fields of activity have included: urinary incontinence, renal transplant and oncology.
More recently, he developed clinical research in the field of prostate diseases and their treatment: plasma energy for BPH endoscopic enucleation as well as Hifu and navigation in the treatment of localised prostate cancer. In 2002, he co-founded a research lab dedicated to preclinical development of new molecules in the field of urology, women’s health and oncology.
Professor Rischmann has published more than two hundred peer-reviewed articles and has addressed prominent national and international scientific societies. He is an active member of the Association Française d’Urologie, European Association of Urology, the European Society for UroTechnology, the American Urological Association and the French Academy of Surgery.
NATHALIE VERGNOLLE
PhD- RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Nathalie has spent more that 20 years in academic research as a research director. She holds a position as Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary (Canada), and she is the director of the Digestive Health Research Institute at the Inserm (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) in Toulouse (France). She is a trained pharmacologist and has extensive experience in pharmacology models for drug development (both human-based in vitro models, and in vivo models) in the domain of inflammation and pain therapeutics. She has also identified and patented a number of molecular targets (11 patents) for the treatment of mucosal diseases and particularly for gastro-intestinal pathologies. Nathalie’s personal research interests focus on the identification and validation of new therapeutic options for chronic diseases. Nathalie received her PhD from the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France). She has received a number of prestigious personal awards, including the Master Award in Gastroenterology by the American Gastroenterology Association; a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Award; the National Research Price from Inserm; the Woman in Science Award from the International Association of Inflammation Societies; and most recently the Marthe Condat grand price for innovation and valorization. She is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Xavier Gamé
MD, PhD, is professor of Urology at Paul Sabatier University and vice Chairman of the Department of Urology, Renal transplant and Andrology at Rangueil University Hospital in Toulouse, France
Xavier Gamé, MD, PhD, is professor of Urology at Paul Sabatier University and vice Chairman of the Department of Urology, Renal transplant and Andrology at Rangueil University Hospital in Toulouse, France. He is also General Secretary of the French Urological Association (AFU) since 2016.
Xavier's main topic is Neuro-Urology and functional urology, including male and female incontinence,Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Benign Prostate Hyperplasia. He is a former chairman of the national committee of Neuro-Urology. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles.
ANGELO PARINI
M.D., Ph.D. – Cofounder of Urosphere
Angelo obtained the M.D. degree and the specialty in Cardiology at the University of Pavia (Italy). After his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Pierre et Marie Curie University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School of Boston, he obtained a permanent position as established investigator at the French National Centre for National Research at the Necker Hospital in Paris. In 1994, he moved to Toulouse as director of the Nephrology INSERM Unity 388 (1994-2007), the Institute of Molecular Medicine (2007-2010) and the Institute of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases (2011-2020). In 2002 he obtained a position as Professor of Physiology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Clinical Practitioner at the University Hospital of Toulouse. His major fields of interest are the molecular and integrated mechanisms of renal/cardiac diseases and of pathological aging.