OUR TEAM
Experts in Human Cells and Models
HUMAN CELL DESIGN
OUR TEAM
Since 2015,
Human Cell Design provides comprehensive scientific expertise and technical competencies for the development of your humanized cellular assays.
Guillaume Costecalde, MSs
CEO, Co-founder & Chairman
Guillaume has over twenty years of experience in biotech enterprise, stem cell regulations and strategy development. He started his entrepreneurial career at the Genopole, France’s leading biotech cluster. He founded Physiogenex in 2003, a start-up that focused on preclinical validation and translational technologies dedicated to metabolic disorders, which was sold in 2009. Guillaume is also a recognized mentor to other biotech start-ups and board member of several biotech and non-biotech companies.
Bruno Blanchi, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Bruno leads the the Science Department at Human Cell Design, providing the industry with physiologically and pharmacologically predictive functional human in vitro models. Bruno has extensive expertise in cellular systems and cell differentiation and specification control, with over ten years of experience in hPSC-derived models. He holds a PhD in Immunology from the Center for Immunology at Marseille-Luminy (CIML), where he worked on the genetic control of hematopoiesis and on central nervous system development. He has been an Assistant Researcher at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he developed several hPSC-derived models for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), receiving fellowships from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and from the Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF).
Hamza Olleik, PharmD, PhD
Business Developer
Hamza is a Business Developer at Human Cell Design. He obtained a pharmacy degree in 2014 from the Lebanese International University and a PhD from Aix Marseille University in 2019. During his career, he held several positions in community pharmacies in Lebanon. He also developed several strategic projects in Aix Marseille University and Sorbonne Université alliance with a specific focus on drug discovery and development. This helped him build a strong profile in research and communication. Currently, Hamza spends his time finding the missing link between researchers and the industrial world and remove all the barriers that may prevent their communication. Internationally driven, Hamza takes advantage of integrating his pharmacologist and industrial approach for successfully leading all his projects.
HUMAN CELL DESIGN
OUR EXPERTS
Raphael Scharfmann, PhD
Beta Cells Expert
Raphael Scharfmann obtained his PhD in 1989 at Université Paris VII, France. He then did a postdoc at the Salk institute, La Jolla, CA (1989-1991) and obtained a permanent position at INSERM at the end of 1991. He obtained the prestigious Minkowski Award (for distinguished research in the field of Diabetes in Europe) (1999), the Award from the European Society for Clinical Investigation (2003), the Award from the French National Academy of Medicine (2010) the Bettencourt Award, (Coup d’élan à la Recherche Française) (2012) and the Roger Assan Award from the French speaking society of Diabetologia (2020). He is currently Research Director at INSERM within the Cochin Institute, University of Paris, France. He is one of the cofounder of EndoCells/UniverCell Biosolutions, a French biotech company. The major objective of his group is to define signals regulating functional pancreatic beta cell mass in rodents and humans.
Philippe Ravassard, PhD
Neurons Expert
Philippe Ravassard obtained his PhD in 1996 at Université Pierre & Marie Curie. He next trained as a postdoc at McGill University, Montréal Canada (1997-98) and has a permanent position at CNRS since 1999. He is presently PI and group leader at ICM (Paris Brain Institute). He was the first to clone, in a rat, the transcription factor Neurogenin3 (ngn3), the key regulator of endocrine differentiation in the pancreas. He is an expert in the field of viral gene transfer and cell engineering. At ICM, his main objective is to develop human stem cell derived models (2D and 3D) to study molecular aspect linked to non-coding elements in neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, he recently obtained awards from The Edmond J. Safra philanthropic foundation and from MSD-AVENIR. He is one of the co-founders of EndoCells/UniverCell Biosolutions.
Paul Czernichow, MD
Diabetes Expert
Dr. Paul Czernichow graduated from the University of Paris Medical Faculty, in 1965. After completing specialty training in Paediatrics, he worked as a research fellow in the USA, Switzerland and France. He was appointed Professor of Paediatrics in 1976 and in 1988 Head of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Hôpital Robert Debré in Paris. During that period, he developed an INSERM research unit focusing on the clinical aspects of diabetes, as well as studying more basic aspects, like molecular mechanisms of the development of the endocrine pancreas. Professor Czernichow’s interest has always been the clinical and basic aspects of developmental endocrinology and growth with a strong involvement in the clinical and basic investigation in the area of diabetes in children. In recognition of this work, he received the Andrea Prader prize during the ESPE-LWPES joint meeting in Montreal in 2001.
Michel Puceat, MD
Cardiomyocytes Expert
Dr. Puceat is senior INSERM Research Director and group leader at the UMR_S910 in Marseille, specialized in cardiac development. He has worked with mouse embryonic stem cells and embryos since 1996 and was one of the first to work on human ES cells and then iPSC. Since 1996 (mouse model) and 2005 (human stem cells), his group has been studying the earliest elements of the genetic and epigenetic pathways that control cardiogenesis. Dr. Puceat has recently spent a 12-month sabbatical in the laboratory of Dr Evans (UCSD), one of the leading groups world-wide working on cardiac development. Dr. Puceat has been the coordinator of the Transatlantic network of excellence SHAPEHEART (Leducq Foundation) and is part of the IMI StemBANCC European network.
HUMAN CELL DESIGN
OUR TEAM
Since 2015, Human Cell Design provides comprehensive scientific expertise and technical competencies for the development of your humanized cellular assays.
Guillaume Costecalde, MSs
CEO, Co-founder & Chairman
Guillaume has over twenty years of experience in biotech enterprise, stem cell regulations and strategy development. He started his entrepreneurial career at the Genopole, France’s leading biotech cluster. He founded Physiogenex in 2003, a start-up that focused on preclinical validation and translational technologies dedicated to metabolic disorders, which was sold in 2009. Guillaume is also a recognized mentor to other biotech start-ups and board member of several biotech and non-biotech companies.
Bruno Blanchi, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Bruno leads the the Science Department at Human Cell Design, providing the industry with physiologically and pharmacologically predictive functional human in vitro models. Bruno has extensive expertise in cellular systems and cell differentiation and specification control, with over ten years of experience in hPSC-derived models. He holds a PhD in Immunology from the Center for Immunology at Marseille-Luminy (CIML), where he worked on the genetic control of hematopoiesis and on central nervous system development. He has been an Assistant Researcher at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he developed several hPSC-derived models for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), receiving fellowships from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and from the Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF).
Hamza Olleik, PharmD, PhD
Business Developer
Hamza is a Business Developer at Human Cell Design. He obtained a pharmacy degree in 2014 from the Lebanese International University and a PhD from Aix Marseille University in 2019. During his career, he held several positions in community pharmacies in Lebanon. He also developed several strategic projects in Aix Marseille University and Sorbonne Université alliance with a specific focus on drug discovery and development. This helped him build a strong profile in research and communication. Currently, Hamza spends his time finding the missing link between researchers and the industrial world and remove all the barriers that may prevent their communication. Internationally driven, Hamza takes advantage of integrating his pharmacologist and industrial approach for successfully leading all his projects.
HUMAN CELL DESIGN
OUR EXPERTS
Raphael Scharfmann, PhD
Beta Cells Expert
Raphael Scharfmann obtained his PhD in 1989 at Université Paris VII, France. He then did a postdoc at the Salk institute, La Jolla, CA (1989-1991) and obtained a permanent position at INSERM at the end of 1991. He obtained the prestigious Minkowski Award (for distinguished research in the field of Diabetes in Europe) (1999), the Award from the European Society for Clinical Investigation (2003), the Award from the French National Academy of Medicine (2010) the Bettencourt Award, (Coup d’élan à la Recherche Française) (2012) and the Roger Assan Award from the French speaking society of Diabetologia (2020). He is currently Research Director at INSERM within the Cochin Institute, University of Paris, France. He is one of the cofounder of EndoCells/UniverCell Biosolutions, a French biotech company. The major objective of his group is to define signals regulating functional pancreatic beta cell mass in rodents and humans.
Philippe Ravassard, PhD
Neurons Expert
Philippe Ravassard obtained his PhD in 1996 at Université Pierre & Marie Curie. He next trained as a postdoc at McGill University, Montréal Canada (1997-98) and has a permanent position at CNRS since 1999. He is presently PI and group leader at ICM (Paris Brain Institute). He was the first to clone, in a rat, the transcription factor Neurogenin3 (ngn3), the key regulator of endocrine differentiation in the pancreas. He is an expert in the field of viral gene transfer and cell engineering. At ICM, his main objective is to develop human stem cell derived models (2D and 3D) to study molecular aspect linked to non-coding elements in neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, he recently obtained awards from The Edmond J. Safra philanthropic foundation and from MSD-AVENIR. He is one of the co-founders of EndoCells/UniverCell Biosolutions.
Paul Czernichow, MD
Diabetes Expert
Dr. Paul Czernichow graduated from the University of Paris Medical Faculty, in 1965. After completing specialty training in Paediatrics, he worked as a research fellow in the USA, Switzerland and France. He was appointed Professor of Paediatrics in 1976 and in 1988 Head of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Hôpital Robert Debré in Paris. During that period, he developed an INSERM research unit focusing on the clinical aspects of diabetes, as well as studying more basic aspects, like molecular mechanisms of the development of the endocrine pancreas. Professor Czernichow’s interest has always been the clinical and basic aspects of developmental endocrinology and growth with a strong involvement in the clinical and basic investigation in the area of diabetes in children. In recognition of this work, he received the Andrea Prader prize during the ESPE-LWPES joint meeting in Montreal in 2001.
Michel Puceat, MD
Cardiomyocytes Expert
Dr. Puceat is senior INSERM Research Director and group leader at the UMR_S910 in Marseille, specialized in cardiac development. He has worked with mouse embryonic stem cells and embryos since 1996 and was one of the first to work on human ES cells and then iPSC. Since 1996 (mouse model) and 2005 (human stem cells), his group has been studying the earliest elements of the genetic and epigenetic pathways that control cardiogenesis. Dr. Puceat has recently spent a 12-month sabbatical in the laboratory of Dr Evans (UCSD), one of the leading groups world-wide working on cardiac development. Dr. Puceat has been the coordinator of the Transatlantic network of excellence SHAPEHEART (Leducq Foundation) and is part of the IMI StemBANCC European network.
