Prof. Brian McCabe PhD - Chairperson Advisory Board and co-founder
Brian is a Professor at EPFL and the Director of the Laboratory of Neural Genetics and Disease.
His research focus is motor neuroscience with the twin goals to understand the fundamental molecular cellular mechanisms necessary for motor circuit and synapse function and to determine how human disease disrupts these processes. His studies have given new insight into the pathophysiology of motor system diseases and revealed novel therapeutic targets.
He specialised in genetics as an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin Ireland, received his PhD from Cambridge University England and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Berkeley USA. He was a faculty member at Columbia University Medical School in New York USA prior to moving his laboratory to EPFL.
Brian is a Professor at EPFL and the Director of the Laboratory of Neural Genetics and Disease.
His research focus is motor neuroscience with the twin goals to understand the fundamental molecular cellular mechanisms necessary for motor circuit and synapse function and to determine how human disease disrupts these processes. His studies have given new insight into the pathophysiology of motor system diseases and revealed novel therapeutic targets.
He specialised in genetics as an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin Ireland, received his PhD from Cambridge University England and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Berkeley USA. He was a faculty member at Columbia University Medical School in New York USA prior to moving his laboratory to EPFL.
Dimitri Gaulis PhD - Legal Counsel and co-founder
Dimitri is an attorney specialised in corporate and contract law and founder of 3D Legal, a law firm specialised in supporting start-ups at various stages of development.
Dimitri is currently completing his PhD in International arbitration and contract law at the University of Geneva. He has published several articles on corporate and procedural law, legal aspects of autonomous vehicles and aviation law.
Dimitri previously gained experience in various law firms, including Bourgeois Avocats and Kellerhals Carrard both located in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has been an assistant in Business law and Private International law for 5 years at the Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration of the University of Lausanne.
Dimitri is an attorney specialised in corporate and contract law and founder of 3D Legal, a law firm specialised in supporting start-ups at various stages of development.
Dimitri is currently completing his PhD in International arbitration and contract law at the University of Geneva. He has published several articles on corporate and procedural law, legal aspects of autonomous vehicles and aviation law.
Dimitri previously gained experience in various law firms, including Bourgeois Avocats and Kellerhals Carrard both located in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has been an assistant in Business law and Private International law for 5 years at the Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration of the University of Lausanne.
Prof. Patrick Aebischer MD - Advisory Board (Science)
Patrick was the president of EFPL for over 16 years. He was also a professor in neuroscience in the Brain Mind Institute and was the director of the Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory at the EPFL. He is currently a senior partner at ND capital.
He has co-founded three biotechnology companies, and currently sits on the board of Lonza, Nestlé, and Logitech. He chairs the advisory board of the Novartis Venture Fund, and continues to serve as an advisor to a number of private companies.
Patrick was trained as an MD and Neuroscientist at the University of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. He has been a Professor at Brown University and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where he focused on cell and gene therapy approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences.
Patrick was the president of EFPL for over 16 years. He was also a professor in neuroscience in the Brain Mind Institute and was the director of the Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory at the EPFL. He is currently a senior partner at ND capital.
He has co-founded three biotechnology companies, and currently sits on the board of Lonza, Nestlé, and Logitech. He chairs the advisory board of the Novartis Venture Fund, and continues to serve as an advisor to a number of private companies.
Patrick was trained as an MD and Neuroscientist at the University of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. He has been a Professor at Brown University and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where he focused on cell and gene therapy approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences.
Pascale Boyer Barresi - Advisory board (Company)
Pascale is a financial professional with strategic planning and business valuation skills paired with an extensive knowledge of the life sciences and healthcare industries. She is currently the Department head of Finance and Operations for Senior Care and Rehabilitation at the Geneva University Hospital (HUG).
Previously, she worked more than 10 years in the private banking industry (MSCI, BEC, Bordier & Cie) specializing in financial analysis for investments in healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, she was an Associate Director at Debiopharm International SA leading the Financial and Business Analysis team. She also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Advisory Deals (Valuation) for Swiss pharma and healthcare companies.
In addition, for more than 5 years, Pascale gave lectures on business valuation for the CAS in Management of Biotech, Medtech and Pharma Ventures at EPFL.
Pascale is a financial professional with strategic planning and business valuation skills paired with an extensive knowledge of the life sciences and healthcare industries. She is currently the Department head of Finance and Operations for Senior Care and Rehabilitation at the Geneva University Hospital (HUG).
Previously, she worked more than 10 years in the private banking industry (MSCI, BEC, Bordier & Cie) specializing in financial analysis for investments in healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, she was an Associate Director at Debiopharm International SA leading the Financial and Business Analysis team. She also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Advisory Deals (Valuation) for Swiss pharma and healthcare companies.
In addition, for more than 5 years, Pascale gave lectures on business valuation for the CAS in Management of Biotech, Medtech and Pharma Ventures at EPFL.
Dr. Kamel Besseghir MD - Advisory Board (Science)
Kamel is MD by training, and has 25+ years of experience in drug development. After an academic career at the Lausanne School of Medicine and the Universities of Buffalo and Syracuse (NY, USA), he spent 3 years as Project Leader for Swiss Cooperation programs in the field of rational use of drugs in developing countries.
He entered the pharmaceutical industry first as International Director of Pharmacovigilance at Serono (Geneva), before joining Debiopharm (Lausanne), first as Medical Director, then VP Research & Evaluation, and finally as CEO.
Kamel is MD by training, and has 25+ years of experience in drug development. After an academic career at the Lausanne School of Medicine and the Universities of Buffalo and Syracuse (NY, USA), he spent 3 years as Project Leader for Swiss Cooperation programs in the field of rational use of drugs in developing countries.
He entered the pharmaceutical industry first as International Director of Pharmacovigilance at Serono (Geneva), before joining Debiopharm (Lausanne), first as Medical Director, then VP Research & Evaluation, and finally as CEO.
Prof. Markus Weber MD - Advisory board (Science)
Markus is Professor of Neurology at the University of Basel and serves as chief of the Neuromuscular Diseases Unit/ ALS Clinic at the Kantonsspital St.Gallen in Switzerland. He received his medical degree from the University of Bonn in Germany and Diploma in Clinical Neurology from the University of London, Queen Square. Following completion of his residency at various academic hospitals in Germany and clinical fellowship in neuromuscular disorders at University of British Columbia in Vancouver , Canada, he founded the Neuromuscular Diseases Center/ALS Clinic in St.Gallen Switzerland.
His work was crucial in developing a motor unit estimation technique called MUNIX as a biomarker for ALS trials. He has published well over 100 peer-review publications and book chapters. He is a member of the ENCALS executive committee and co-chair of the European Academy of Neurology scientific panel on ALS and FTD.
Markus is Professor of Neurology at the University of Basel and serves as chief of the Neuromuscular Diseases Unit/ ALS Clinic at the Kantonsspital St.Gallen in Switzerland. He received his medical degree from the University of Bonn in Germany and Diploma in Clinical Neurology from the University of London, Queen Square. Following completion of his residency at various academic hospitals in Germany and clinical fellowship in neuromuscular disorders at University of British Columbia in Vancouver , Canada, he founded the Neuromuscular Diseases Center/ALS Clinic in St.Gallen Switzerland.
His work was crucial in developing a motor unit estimation technique called MUNIX as a biomarker for ALS trials. He has published well over 100 peer-review publications and book chapters. He is a member of the ENCALS executive committee and co-chair of the European Academy of Neurology scientific panel on ALS and FTD.
Prof. Gregoire Courtine PhD - Advisory Board (Science)
Gregoire was trained in Physics and Neurosciences. His passion for translational neurosciences has fueled his research in the development of neurotechnologies to improve recovery from neurological disorders. After obtaining the Chancellor Award during his post-doc at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), he established his own laboratory at the University of Zurich in 2008 before joining the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in 2012.
He is now Full Professor of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology in the Center for Neuroprosthetics at EPFL and in the department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) where he is director of the Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore). He is also Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of GTX medical, a start-up he founded in 2014 to translate the neurotechnologies developed in his laboratory into clinical treatments.
Gregoire was trained in Physics and Neurosciences. His passion for translational neurosciences has fueled his research in the development of neurotechnologies to improve recovery from neurological disorders. After obtaining the Chancellor Award during his post-doc at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), he established his own laboratory at the University of Zurich in 2008 before joining the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in 2012.
He is now Full Professor of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology in the Center for Neuroprosthetics at EPFL and in the department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV) where he is director of the Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore). He is also Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of GTX medical, a start-up he founded in 2014 to translate the neurotechnologies developed in his laboratory into clinical treatments.
Prof. Jocelyne Bloch MD - Advisory board (Science)
Jocelyne is specialized in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, and acquired an extensive experience in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neuromodulation for movement disorders, pain and epilepsy. She is in charge of the functional neurosurgical unit at the CHUV. Very active in experimental medicine and translational neuroscience, she nourishes a profound interest in the development of new indications for DBS, and in advancing technologies and therapeutic paradigms in neuromodulation, neuroregeneration, and cell therapy. She seeks to gather all these novel therapeutic strategies under a common umbrella that will foster optimization of treatment options for patients suffering from neurological impairments.
Since 2019, she is director of the Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore). NeuroRestore is a research, innovation and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions.
Jocelyne is specialized in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, and acquired an extensive experience in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neuromodulation for movement disorders, pain and epilepsy. She is in charge of the functional neurosurgical unit at the CHUV. Very active in experimental medicine and translational neuroscience, she nourishes a profound interest in the development of new indications for DBS, and in advancing technologies and therapeutic paradigms in neuromodulation, neuroregeneration, and cell therapy. She seeks to gather all these novel therapeutic strategies under a common umbrella that will foster optimization of treatment options for patients suffering from neurological impairments.
Since 2019, she is director of the Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore). NeuroRestore is a research, innovation and treatment center that develops and applies bioengineering strategies involving neurosurgical interventions to restore neurological functions.
Prof. William Dauer MD - Advisory Board (Science)
William (Bill) is Professor of Neurology & Neuroscience and the inaugural Director of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. His academic career includes a medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis followed by internship and fellowships at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and Columbia University in New York. He is a leader in the study of Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. For almost two decades, the team he leads has performed groundbreaking research focused on the molecular basis of dystonia and the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease.
Bill is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and his work has been recognized with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation’s Fahn Award, the Michael J. Fox Foundation Bachmann-Strauss Prize for Excellence in Dystonia Research, and the Harold and Golden Lamport Award for excellence in clinical science research from Columbia University
William (Bill) is Professor of Neurology & Neuroscience and the inaugural Director of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. His academic career includes a medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis followed by internship and fellowships at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and Columbia University in New York. He is a leader in the study of Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. For almost two decades, the team he leads has performed groundbreaking research focused on the molecular basis of dystonia and the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease.
Bill is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and his work has been recognized with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation’s Fahn Award, the Michael J. Fox Foundation Bachmann-Strauss Prize for Excellence in Dystonia Research, and the Harold and Golden Lamport Award for excellence in clinical science research from Columbia University
ADVISORY BOARD
