Joël Richard, From Physics to the Pharmaceutical Field

BACKGROUND

1981/1985 Cohort: From Material Studies to Medicinal Chemistry 

Joël Richard joined ENS Cachan (now ENS Paris-Saclay) after excelling in the scientific entrance exam in 1981. 

Motivated by his chemistry professor during specialized studies to take the entrance exam for the Écoles Normales Supérieures, he was drawn to a career in research, although uncertain about its true meaning. After obtaining his EEA master's at the University of Paris-Sud in 1983 and the applied Physics agrégation in 1984, André Barraud (an ENS Cachan alumnus), director of the "Organized Solid State Physicochemistry" Laboratory at CEA Saclay, convinced him to join his laboratory. There, he conducted his DEA internship in Materials Science and his doctoral thesis on organic conductors in Langmuir-Blodgett thin films. 

"Behind every significant event in my career, a charismatic and undoubtedly exceptional person conveyed their enthusiasm, passion, and this message: Dare! Do what you like; you have the means to succeed."

Freshly graduated with a Ph.D. and already co-author of around twenty publications, Joël Richard started as a research engineer at Rhône-Poulenc in Aubervilliers, where he began working on the physicochemistry of latex. Two years later, he was promoted to lead the Radical Polymer Synthesis Laboratory at Rhône Poulenc. This promotion pushed him significantly outside his comfort zone and expertise. 

"I embraced this challenge, learning a lot on my own in this field and relying on my team's expertise." 

He obtained his Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) in chemistry at the University of Bordeaux I in 1994. 

Leaving Rhône-Poulenc in 1996, Joël Richard took a decisive turn in his career, becoming the director of the Industrial Research and Technology Transfer Center (CRITT) in microencapsulation, created in Angers by Professor Jean-Pierre Benoit, a world-renowned expert in the field of galenic pharmacy.

It was notably through contact with this professor that Joël Richard took his first steps in the pharmaceutical field, developing innovative galenic forms. 

In 1999, Jean-Pierre Benoit and Joël Richard founded Mainelab in Angers, specializing in controlled drug delivery. Joël Richard served as its General Manager for four years, gaining experience in managing a company, including all financial, human, and legal aspects. 

Joël Richard continued his career in the pharmaceutical field, first at Ethypharm (2001), then in biotechnologies at Serono and Merck Serono in Rome (Italy, 2005-2008) as Director of Pharmaceutical Development.

"My motivation was also linked to the desire to learn new things in very different scientific fields, to innovate with a different approach, and to face the complexity of these new domains." 

Joël Richard returned to France in 2008 to take the position of Senior Director of Finished Product Development at Ipsen, where he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development in 2013. In this role, he had international responsibilities with a team of 150 people spread across 5 different sites (France, Ireland, Germany, USA). 

In 2018, he was recruited by MedinCell (Montpellier) as Director of Pharmaceutical and Technical Operations, quickly becoming Director of all development operations. Throughout his career, Joël Richard evolved through various pharmaceutical domains (chemical and pharmaceutical R&D, production, analytics, quality control, biotechnologies, proteins/peptides, formulations, delivery and administration systems). He continued to innovate and lead scientific research, co-authoring 55 patent families in various fields and 70 international publications. His work also earned him invitations to speak at over 100 international conferences. 

"I chose the pharmaceutical industry precisely to have a strong impact on people's lives through the development of new drugs that improve their health and provide them with new treatments. It's absolutely exhilarating and gives me great motivation!"

Despite your background as a physicist, you chose to enter the pharmaceutical field. Why this choice?

Excellent question! I think I was looking for a professional field that had a real and significant impact on society and people's lives. The Health field is part of this category. I started my career at CEA in fundamental research on very innovative materials for future electronics. I then moved into the chemical industry, still in the field of materials but this time for very concrete and current applications in coatings, paints, adhesives...

After a few years, even though the new materials developed were interesting, I lacked deep motivation to continue in this field. I then had the opportunity to work on nano-polymeric systems used to immobilize antibodies in biomedical diagnostic tests and also to meet brilliant researchers in innovative galenic pharmacy, such as Professor Jean-Pierre Benoit. Each time, the interface with the Health and Living field attracted and fascinated me immensely.

I also realized that my background as a physicist/physicochemist allowed me to easily grasp the grand principles and observed phenomena, and potentially bring a new perspective or different insight into certain areas related to living organisms. Many interesting things often happen at interfaces, and here it was about the interface between physics/physicochemistry and living organisms.

So, I entered the pharmaceutical field through aspects related to formulation (galenic) and innovative drug delivery systems, such as biodegradable polymer microparticles, lipidic nanocapsules, stealth liposomes, self-assembling peptide systems, etc. These systems allow for extended release of therapeutic molecules over several weeks or months after subcutaneous administration, or targeting tumors or cancer cells for destruction, or even allowing pieces of RNA to cross membranes or peptides to penetrate cells to modulate protein-protein interactions within their nuclei. It's an absolutely complex and fascinating world, where many different knowledge and expertise areas meet and complement each other to combat disease.

Your career reflects your great mastery of the pharmaceutical industry. Isn't it a source of pressure for you, thinking that the outcome of your research could potentially save thousands of lives, especially considering the current Covid-19-related health crisis?

I chose the pharmaceutical industry precisely to have a strong impact on people's lives through the development of new drugs that improve their health and provide them with new treatments. I do not feel it as a source of pressure. On the contrary, I find it absolutely exhilarating, and it gives me great motivation. Every morning, I wake up knowing exactly why I am going to work: patients are waiting for new treatments in many therapeutic areas, and what I do every day is constantly focused on patients and their needs for new treatments. 

For example, my company is currently working on a drug for the prophylaxis of Covid-19 based on our extended delivery technology, especially for the most at-risk patients. It's really exciting! We need to move very quickly because we still don't know how the pandemic will evolve, but we know we have to be ready quickly.

What are your future professional projects at your new company MedinCell?

I will continue to develop my teams, which are still relatively 'junior,' by training them, coaching them, leveraging my pharmaceutical experience, and recruiting new skills. My goal is to prepare for the future growth stages of the company and the progression of new product development projects to clinical phases as quickly as possible.