Pascal MARCHAND

Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design, Spectral Methods

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of heterocyclic compounds for therapeutic purposes (mycology, parasitology, bacteriology and cancer). Inhibitors of kinase signaling pathways. ADMET properties of molecules of biological interest.

Academic qualifications    

Medicinal Chemistry department, UR 1155 - IICiMed, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nantes.

September 2013: Professor of Organic Chemistry (1st class September 2016  & exceptional class 1 September 2022)

June 2007: Habilitation in Medicinal Chemistry - Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of azaheterocyclic compounds

September 2001: Assistant Professor in Organic Chemistry

January 2000-August 2001: Lecturer in Organic Chemistry
 
June 1996: Master's degree in Pharmacochemistry

Involvement in postgraduate education/supervision/examination                    

PhD thesis supervisions (17): industry collaborations (Æterna Zentaris-Germany and Servier-France) and academic collaborations (Parasitology and Medical Mycology department of IICiMed team and international joint supervisions)

T17. Siga SAGNE (International joint supervision 50%) – Synthesis and evaluation of the antiparasitic properties of a new class of molecules for the treatment of leishmaniasis – defense planned on May 2025. Co-supervision: Prof. Abdoulaye Gassama, Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor, Senegal.

T16. Lhana TISSEUR (Co-supervision at 50%) – Design, synthesis and evaluation of antiparasitic properties of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives targeting casein kinase 1 of Leishmania spp. – defense planned on November 2024. Co-supervision: Dr Marc-Antoine Bazin.

T15. Célia ROUGES (Co-supervision at 50%) – Interaction Hsp90 / Sba1 new target for the treatment of invasive candidiasis – defense planned on March 2023. Thesis supervisor: Prof. Patrice Le Pape.

T14. Felipe NEVES COUTINHO (International joint supervision 50%) – Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of bicyclic isoxazole and isoxazoline derivatives – 27^th June 2022. Co-supervision: Prof. Teresinha Gonçalves da Silva, Recife - Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Masters 2 (MSc) (15)

Postdoctoral researchers (8)

63 international publications and 4 international patents (h-Index: 18)

Recent publications and patents
 

National and international research collaborations

 

• Collaboration Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor 2021-2025 – Senegal

The research work of the IICiMed team in the fight against leishmaniasis allowed the development of a collaborative project with the Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Materials (LCPM) of Prof. A. Gassama from the Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor. A thesis in medicinal chemistry under joint supervision (from May 2021) focuses on the design of new bicyclic piperidine based antileishmanial compounds. Funding of a doctoral scholarship from the French Cooperation.

• PHC ULYSSES 2014 & 2020/2021 Programme – Ireland

Campus France, responsible for the management of Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC) has selected the project ULYSSES 2014 filed jointly by the Department of Medicinal Chemistry of IICiMed team (Prof. Pascal Marchand, University of Nantes) and "Department of Chemistry and ABCRF "(Dr Florence McCarthy, University College Cork, Ireland). This collaboration, still in progress, is a work of Medicinal Chemistry in the field of oncology that led to the mobility of the students and the project managers between the two sites. This collaboration is currently continuing in the field of medical mycology since a ULYSSES 2020 project, with the same partner, has been selected and aims at the synthesis and evaluation of new pharmaceutical leads for the inhibition of fungal Protein Kinase C to combat resistance in Candida albicans in the clinic. Funding of €5,000.

• CONACYT 2018/2021 Programme – Mexico

The research work of IICiMed team dealing with imidazo[1,2-a]azine series as anti-infective agents, under the supervision of Prof. Pascal Marchand and Dr Marc-Antoine Bazin, allowed to initiate a collaboration with Mexico (Dr. H. Salgado Zamora of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) of Mexico City) through the PhD thesis co-supervision and mobility of Juan Emmanuel Reynoso Lara (2015-2018). An official partnership agreement was also signed between University of Nantes and Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Monterrey. In response to a call for projects, it allowed to develop a collaborative work in 2018 through 1 international joint supervision of PhD theses (1-year mobility in IICiMed Lab at the end 2019 and 2020). This research work, directed by Prof. Maria del Rayo Camacho Corona and Prof. Pascal Marchand, deals with the biological valorization of natural products and their synthetic derivatives endowed with antibiotic properties. Funding of 1 doctoral fellowship + mobility of the project managers between the two sites.

 

Professional activities (member of committees/research clusters etc.)

• Member of the european Group for the Promotion of Pharmaceutical chemistry in Academia (GP₂A) and President from September 2017 (www.gp2a.org).
• Local coordinator of Paul Ehrlich MedChem Euro-PhD Network at Nantes Université from 2021 (http://www.pehrlichmedchem.eu).
• Committee member of European COST ACTION CA21111 - One Health drugs against parasitic vector borne diseases in Europe and beyond (OneHealthdrugs) from 2022 (https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21111/).