Dr. Michael Schumacher
Born in 1958 in Verviers (Belgium), Michael Schumacher conducted his doctoral research under the supervision of Pr. Jacques Balthazart and received in 1985 his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Liège (Belgium). After postdoctoral trainings in the laboratories of Pr. John B. Hutchison at the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and Pr. Bruce S. McEwen at the Rockefeller University (New York), he became in 1991 Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Paris-Sud. In 1993, he has been appointed Director of Research of Inserm, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and he pursued his research on neurosteroids in the laboratory of Pr. Etienne-Emile Baulieu. Since 1998, he is heading research units of Inserm and University Paris-Sud. In 2009, he also became the Dean of the Doctoral School “Signaling and Integrated Networks in Biology” (Univ. Paris-Saclay).
His Research Unit “Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System (U1195 Inserm and University Paris-Sud) is located in the suburbs of Paris. It is aimed at developing new neuroprotective and neuroregenerative therapies for the treatment of lesions and diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Major lines of research concern the mechanisms of the neuroprotective, neuroregenerative and promyelinating actions of small molecules, including neurosteroids, ligands of the translocator protein (TSPO) and activators of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling pathways. Combinations of reconstructive microsurgery with pharmacological treatments or gene therapy are explored for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. The laboratory has made relevant contributions to the use of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) gene therapy and the delivery of siRNA and nanoparticles for the treatment of monogenic peripheral neuropathies and it integrates both basic and clinical research. The laboratory has also a prominent training activity through the key participation in the Doctoral school “Biosigne” of University Paris-Saclay and has contributed to the creation and management of a degree of University Paris-Sud entitled “Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation for Diseases of the Nervous System”.
