INSERM U 646 « Ingénierie de la Vectorisation Particulaire »
10 rue André Boquel, 49 100 Angers, France
33 2 41 73 58 55
jean-pierre.benoit@univ-angers.fr
www.u646.angers.inserm.fr/

Biographical sketch.
Professor Benoit, who trained in pharmacy, teaches Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, Angers University. He was a former student of Professor Francis Puisieux of the University Paris XI, where he acquired a solid foundation in the domain of micro and nanoencapsulation. He has managed to develop in Angers a highly competitive research group at international level. He is currently the director of a 45-strong research team, recognised and financed by INSERM.

His dynamism has also led him to fulfil numerous administrative tasks within national and international institutions: for example, he has been made by the past a member of the Board of Governors of the CRS (Controlled Release Society), and he has been vice-president then president of the International Microencapsulation Society from 1999 to 2003. He is presently on the scientific board of the LEEM (French union of the pharmaceutical industry).

His research activity has resulted in the publication of over 150 original refereed scientific articles and reviews, 25 patents and more than 110 contributions at Conferences. He has been an invited speaker at over 45 lectures throughout the world. He was recognized as an AAPS Fellow in 1994.

Research interest.
His research, at the frontiers of physical chemistry, pharmaceutical technology, and biology, concerns both the development of new encapsulation methods for active ingredients without recourse to organic solvents, and drug targeting in the central nervous system.

These innovations in the formulation of particles and colloids in the absence of organic solvents are based on the utilisation of supercritical CO2 (two major patents: WO 96/11055 and WO 98/13136), and the fragmentation of emulsions at specific temperatures (patent WO 01/64328).

As far as drug targeting is concerned, Professor Benoit’s research group was the first to demonstrate the biocompatibility and the biodegradability of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres implanted in the brain (Biomaterials, 1993). From this start, they have developed numerous intracerebral implants carrying anticancer agents and neurotrophic factors. Their studies have led to two phase I/II clinical trials (Cancer, 1999 and 2004) and one phase IIb trial (Neurosurgery, 2004) in patients suffering from glioblastoma; a significant increase in patient survival has been observed. This interesting result has directed current work towards the use of nanovectors. Professor Benoit and his team have become pioneers in the development of intracerebrally administered medication. On the European level, he was recently the co-ordinator of a research project entitled BCDDS (Brain Controlled Drug Delivery Systems), which involved 7 top-level European research teams whose mission was to develop new forms of medication for brain injection.