Dr. Axel Kahn is the Director of Research at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in France, and was head of INSERM’s Institut Cochin in Paris from 2002 to 2008. He is the former President of l’Université Paris Descartes from 2007 to 2011.
His scientific work is focused on gene control, genetic disease, cancer, and nutrition. He has written a number of books and close to 500 original articles published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals such as Nature, Cell, and Genetics.
Dr. Kahn is the former President for the Commission du Génie Biomoléculaire, editor-in-chief of the journal Médecine Sciences from 1986 to 1998, and member of the Comité Consultatif National d’Ethique from 1992 to 2004. In Brussels, he chaired the European Group on Life Sciences with the Commissioner of the European Commission for Research and Innovation. As well, Dr. Kahn serves as President for the International Foundation for Disability, the Ethics Committee of the National French Association on Cancer, the Paris Biotech Santé and the Commission Recherche de la Conférence des Présidents d’Universités.