Research at the Faculty

The Faculty of Pharmacy is supported by 9 research units (>700 people) accredited by Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, CNRS, the Paoli-Calmettes Institute, IRD, INRA and the Ministry of Defence, as well as numerous technological and clinical platforms hosting students and research staff in training. Our research is naturally oriented towards therapeutic and diagnostic innovation.

The themes cover the following fields: vascular pathologies, oncology, infectious diseases, chemical research, but also very interdisciplinary research focusing on environmental nuisances and galenic engineering, one of the key stages in the final design of a drug.

All of this research is based on a strong interface between health and science, with a translational and clinical dimension in conjunction with the clinical, biological and pharmaceutical departments of the Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille and the Marseille cancer centre (Institut Paoli Calmettes).

A specificity of the research within the faculty is the successful integration of highly interdisciplinary approaches to drugs and diagnostics, from the identification of new molecular mechanisms to preclinical evaluation, including specialties that are essential to the development of a drug such as chemistry, galenic pharmacy and pharmacokinetics.

To meet the challenge of translational research at the patient's bedside, the Faculty of Pharmacy is a driving force in major research programs that are largely supported by A*MIDEX, national and European academic funding, and by partnerships with the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries.

This research is also supported by state-of-the-art technological platforms (medical imaging-CERIMED, proteomics-IBiSA, pharmacokinetics, intravital imaging, flow cytometry and cell sorting) and clinical platforms that bring the results of innovation to the patient's bedside (Clinical Investigation Centre, biotherapies, biobanks).

Throughout the year, we offer our students a number of activities (reception of L2 students, research day, seminars, job fairs, conferences and debates) which bring together students already in a research course (master's degree, doctorate), teachers, researchers and industrialists in order to help them discover the jobs in health research and the opportunities they offer, as well as internship opportunities in the faculty's research laboratories and the research topics proposed. Internships in research laboratories can begin as early as the second year, in addition to the teaching units and practical work offered by the faculty. The Research Office is at the disposal of students wishing to know more and to be directed towards laboratories to make their first steps... and their first discoveries!

Jean-Paul Borg, Vice-Dean of Research

Manon Bonifay, Assistant to the Vice-Dean