GUY SAUVAGEAU, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P.(C), F.R.S.C.

Dr. Sauvageau is an internationally-recognized researcher and clinician, with a research focus on the study of HSC biology and AML.

Dr. Sauvageau’s work has led to ground-breaking discoveries in HSC biology. His team identified the key role of the HOXB4 and Bmi1 genes in regulating HSC self-renewal. More recently, Dr. Sauvageau’s team, in collaboration with Anne Marinier’s group at IRIC, discovered the small molecule UM171 that promotes the expansion of human cord blood-derived HSCs ex vivo. This breakthrough led to the initiation in 2016 of a phase I/II clinical trial to assess the therapeutic benefits of UM171-expanded cord blood cell transplantation for the treatment of hematological diseases. Dr. Sauvageau is also the leader of the Leucegene project, which aims at improving AML subgroup characterisation and developing new prognostic tests and therapeutic strategies for AML. RNA sequencing and chemical screening of primary AML specimens from the Leucegene cohort led to the discovery of novel mutations and gene expression profiles for many AML subgroups, as well as to the identification of drugs selectively targeting AML subtypes. The Leucegene team also developed and validated a novel AML prognostic test that predicts resistance to current therapies.