Professor Francine Behar-Cohen

Professor Francine Behar-Cohen

Institut des Cordeliers

15 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine

75006 Paris

Hôtel-Dieu de Paris

1, Place du Parvis Notre Dame

75004 Paris

Tel: 00331 40 46 78 40

Fax: 00331 40 46 78 55

e-mail:

Actual position:

Professor in Ophthalmology retinal surgeon at Hôtel-Dieu of Paris René Descartes University and Director of Team 17 INSERM UMRS872: «Physiopathology of ocular diseases: Therapeutic innovations» at the Centre de Recherches des Cordeliers in Paris.

Cursus:

I have completed my medical school and Ophthalmology specialization at René Descartes University in Paris, and performed my retina fellowship at Hôtel-Dieu hospital University in Paris. At the same time, I got a master and my PhD in biology. In 2001, I got a permanent position as a researcher (CR) at the Inserm (Institut de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) in the laboratory of Yves Courtois, as well as an Avenir grant to constitute my own group of research on ocular drug delivery. In 2004, I became director of Inserm U598: «Physiopathology of ocular diseases: Therapeutic innovations». This group is composed of around 50 people, 10 permanent researchers, working on animal models of ocular diseases and on new methods of treatment. In 1999, I was the co-founder of a biotech company, Optis France, for the development of ocular iontophoresis, that has became Eyegate Pharma, USA, in 2005. In 2006 and 2007, I got the French National Innovation Prizes (Oséo emergence and creation) for the development of new non-viral gene therapy technology in ophthalmology.

Particulate drug delivery systems for intraocular drug delivery

Nowadays, most of the blinding diseases result from retinal pathologies. While new therapeutic agents are being developed, one of the main limiting factors is to find a way to administer it to specific tissues and/ or cells in the back of the eye. Particulates drug delivery systems include nano and microparticles, nano and microspheres and nano and microcapsules. The biologically active agent can be dissolved or encapsulated in the macromolecular material composing the particles. Nanoparticles can also be obtained by the formation of complexes by electrostatic forces using cationic peptides or by cationic polymers. To avoid opsonisation and recognition by the host phagocytes, the surface of the particles can be modified by peggylation. Particulate systems offer many advantage for intraocular delivery by simple injection, avoiding the need for surgery. Their size and polymer composition influence markedly their biological behaviour in vivo. Microparticles act like reservoir after intravitreous injection and poorly diffuse in the vitreous gel. Nanoparticles on the other hand, diffuse rapidly and are internalized in ocular tissues and cells of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye. Furthermore, engineering of the size and composition of these particles allows for a controllable slow release of the encapsulated drug for extended periods of time along with the potential for specific cell or tissue targeting. Also, the possibility to develop thermo or light labile particulate systems can allow for time and site control release of the encapsulated drug as desired and according to various manifestations during the diseases course. We are presenting here some of our pre clinical work, exploring the potential of nanoparticles for intraocular drug delivery in normal conditions and in experimental models of ocular diseases

Selected review papersin the field:

§  Bejjani RA, Andrieu C, Bloquel C, Berdugo M, Benezra D, Behar-Cohen F. Electrically assisted ocular gene therapy. Surv Ophthalmol. 2007 Mar-Apr;52(2):196-208.

·  Einmahl S, Capancioni S, Schwach-Abdellaoui K, Moeller M, Behar-Cohen F, Gurny R.Therapeutic applications of viscous and injectable poly(ortho esters). Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2001 Dec 3;53(1):45-73.

·  Bloquel C, Bourges JL, Touchard E, Berdugo M, BenEzra D and Behar-Cohen F. Non-viral ocular gene therapy: potential ocular therapeutic avenues. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 58: 1224-1242, 2006

·  Bourges JL, Bloquel C, Thomas A, Froussart F, Bochot A, Azan F, Gurny R, BenEzra D and Behar-Cohen F. Intraocular implants for extended drug delivery: therapeutic applications. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 58: 1182-1202, 2006.