Europe as leaders in nanomedicine: let's go for it!

Abstract

Nanomedicine (2014) 9(4), 389–391 ISSN 1743-5889 Dr Laurent Levy speaks to Hannah Stanwix, Commissioning Editor. Dr Levy has over 20 years’ experience in nanomedicine, supported by a solid understanding of physics, chemistry and biology. He obtained his doctorate in nanotechnology from the Pierre-andMarie-Curie University and the CEA (France), before pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics at the State University of New York, USA. Here, Dr Levy collaborated with the Director of the Institute, Paras Prasad, a key scientist working in the nanophotonic and nanobiotech field, to develop a unique vision for adopting nanotechnology to treat cancer. Dr Levy’s cutting-edge biotechnology and nanotechnology research culminated in the development of a nanomedicine platform called NanoXray to address the biggest drawbacks of radiation therapy, namely, the destruction of healthy tissue, among other adverse effects, caused by the high radiation doses necessary to destroy tumor targets. In 2003, Dr Levy cofounded Nanobiotix, a Paris-based nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. Currently, Dr Levy is involved in nanomedicine-focused international groups and think-tanks, aside from being an expert for EU funding programs. He is the ViceChairman of the European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine (ETPN) and the author of 35 international scientific publications and several patent applications. Europe as leaders in nanomedicine: let’s go for it!