Catherine Llorens-Cortes is a French neuropharmacologist and neuroendocrinologist internationally recognized for her research at the intersection of neuroscience and cardiovascular disease. For more than 20 years, she directed the laboratory “Central Neuropeptides and Hydric and Cardiovascular Regulation ” (Inserm U691) at the Collège de France for over 20 years; from 2011 to 2021, this laboratory was part of the Collège de France’s Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Biology (CIRB). Since 2022, she has continued her research as an Inserm Research Director Emeritus at the CEA’s Saclay Center within the Department of Medicines and Technologies for Health/SIMoS.
Her career is marked by a particularly remarkable feature: the continuity between basic research, pharmacology, the identification of new therapeutic targets, and the development of strategies likely to benefit patients.
Major Scientific Contributions
- Her early work on endogenous morphines, conducted at the Inserm U109 Neurobiology Laboratory in collaboration with the Department of Organic Chemistry at Paris Descartes University, contributed to the development of Tiorfan, an antidiarrheal drug widely used in pediatrics.
- In the cerebral renin-angiotensin system, her research helped demonstrate the role of cerebral angiotensin III and aminopeptidase A (APA) in regulating blood pressure and in the mechanisms involved in controlling cardiac function. This research thus led to the identification of APA as a key therapeutic target for treating hypertension and heart failure.
- The development of firibastat: His research, from the laboratory through clinical trials, led to the creation of the first APA inhibitor capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier after oral administration, lowering blood pressure in several experimental models of hypertension, and improving cardiac function following a myocardial infarction (MI). These findings were replicated in two Phase II clinical trials involving patients with hypertension and patients who had experienced a first myocardial infarction (MI).
- His laboratory’s research was pioneering in demonstrating the crucial role of apelin and its receptor in regulating fluid balance and cardiovascular function. This work led to the development of metabolically stable apelin analogs with potential therapeutic value. Among these, the compound LIT01-196 has been shown to be effective in correcting hyponatremia.
