Marianne ABI FADEL
Doyen - FP
Enseignant Cadré - Professeur - PhD HDR
Faculty of Pharmacy (FP)Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Therapies (LBTM)
(+961) 1 421 000 ext marianne.abifadel@usj.edu.lb
p classMsoNormal stylemargin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt font-size: 12pt font-family: Calibri, sans-serifspan stylefont-size: 10.5pt font-family: Arial, sans-serif letter-spacing: 0.2ptMarianne Abi Fadel is the elected Dean of the School of Pharmacy at USJ since 2013, the director of the laboratory of Biochemistry Molecular Therapeutics (LBTM) at the School of Pharmacy, a professor of biochemistry molecular biology at USJ. She is also an invited researcher at INSERM U1148 at Bichat hospital Paris Cité University in Paris, the director of the Laboratory Rodolphe Mérieux in Lebanon since 2018 providing diagnosis to migrants vulnerable populations.
She obtained her Pharmacy Diploma in 1996, her Laboratory Medicine Clinical Biochemistry Specialization Diploma from USJ, then her PhD in Molecular Genetics in 2003 the French accreditation to supervise research in 2009 from the University of Paris-Descartes. Her main scientific achievement is the discovery of the implication of PCSK9 in Familial Hypercholesterolemia by identifying its first gain of function (GOF) mutations (Abifadel et al. Nature Genetics 2003). This was the seminal paper linking PCSK9 to cholesterol metabolism was the starting point of the PCSK9 adventure from gene to a new therapeutic class: the anti-PCSK9.
With several publications in journals with high impact factor (ex: 3 in Nature Genetics IF41, 3 in The Lancet IF168…), she was awarded several national international distinctions for her work on Familial Hypercholesterolemia FH notably:
- The Chancellery of Paris Universities: Nathalie Demassieux prize in 2004,
- the CNRS-L (National Council for Scientific Research, Lebanon) Award in Recognition of Distinguished Scientific Researchers in 2012,
- the ‘Société des Membres de la Légion d’honneur’ Scientific Excellence Award in 2016,
- the prestigious Christophe Mérieux Prize 2021 from the “Institute de France” in Paris
- the Golden Award of the Italian Society of Atherosclerosis in 2022.
She is a Principal Investigator of several working groups, invited speaker in international scientific meetings member of advisory boards.
She is an elected member in the National French Academy of Pharmacy as international correspondent since 2019 honored with the Medal of the French National Academy of Pharmacy, National Lead of Lebanon at EAS-FHSC; Member of the International Society of Atherosclerosis representing MENA region, member of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut and HDF hospital government boards.
+ Degrees
• HDR - Biochimie, biologie cellulaire et moléculaire
• PhD : Diplôme de Docteur en Génétique moléculaire des maladies du développement et de l'oncogenèse
• Diplôme d'études spécialisées en Biologie médicale
• D.E.A - Physiologie et Physiopathologie de la nutrition humaine
• Doctorat d'université
• Maîtrise en Sciences Biologiques et Médicales
• Diplôme de Docteur en Pharmacie (Doctorat d'exercice)
+ Teaching experience at USJ
Metabolic BiochemistrydivClinical Biochemistry/div>
+ Teaching experience outside USJ
+ Professionnal experience outside USJ
+ Expertise field
Medecine and Health
+ Research topics
span stylefont-size: 10.5pt font-family: Arial, sans-serif letter-spacing: 0.2ptHer research focuses on PCSK9, the genetics of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), dyslipidemia, aneurysms, cardiovascular metabolic diseases in Lebanon (LBTM in collaboration with Hotel Dieu de France (HDF) hospital), in the Middle East in the French population at INSERM U1148, Bichat Hospital. She works in collaboration with INSERM U1148 team in Paris, as well as other international teams at IRCM Montreal, Karolinska Institute, the FHSC/EAS, collaborators in the MENA region. Besides her discovery of i>PCSK9 in FH, she has also identified the implication of THSD4 in thoracic aortic aneurysm, studied PCSK9 as a modifier gene in FH Lebanese patients carrying the same mutation of the LDLR, identified PCSK9 mutation in familial combined hyperlipidemia, studied Tangier disease, hypobetalipoproteinemia, hypertriglyceridemia other rare metabolic cardiovascular diseases in patients from Lebanon the Middle East. She works on improving the diagnosis of non-communicable diseases but also of communicable infectious diseases (COVID19, tuberculosis…) in collaboration with the Mérieux Foundation Gabriel Network
+ Publications and communications
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?termabifadel+marianne&sortdate&size200
https://scholar.google.com/citations?userU_Mc1IEAAAAJ&hlfr
p classMsoNormal stylemargin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt font-size: 12pt font-family: times new roman, serif text-align: justify="" text-indent:="" -21.8pt"="">1. Abifadel M, Varret M, Rabes Jp, Allard D, Ouguerram K, Devillers M, Cruaud C, Benjannet S, Wickham L, Erlich D, Derre A, Villeger L, Farnier M, Beucler I, Bruckert E, Chambaz J, Chanu B, Lecerf Jm, Luc G, Moulin P, Weissenbach J, Prat A, Krempf M, Junien C, Seidah Ng, Boileau C.
Mutations in PCSK9 cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia.
Nature Genetics, 2003, 34(2):154-156.
Mizuguchi T, Collod-Beroud G, Akiyama T, Abifadel M, Harada N, Morisaki T, Allard D, Varret M, Claustres M, Morisaki H, Ihara M, Kinoshita A, Yoshiura K, Junien C, Kajii T, Jondeau G, Ohta T, Kishino T, Furukawa Y, Nakamura Y,Niikawa N, Boileau C, Matsumoto N.
Heterozygous TGFBR2 mutations in Marfan syndrome.
Nature Genetics, 2004, 36(8) : 855-860.
Abifadel M, Rabès Jp, Jambart S, Halaby G, Gannage-Yared Mh, Sarkis A, Beaino G, Varret M, Salem N, Corbani S, Aydenian H, Junien C, Munnich A, Boileau C.
The molecular basis of familial hypercholesterolemia in Lebanon: spectrum of LDLR mutations role of PCSK9 as a modifier gene.
Hum Mutat. 2009;30(7):E682-91.
.
Genetic molecular architecture of familial hypercholesterolemia.
J Intern Med. 2023 Feb;293(2):144-165.
Dharmayat K, Vallejo-Vaz A, Stevens C, Brandts J, Lyons A, Groselj U, Abifadel M, + 476 co-authors, Santos R, Ray K.
Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study
Lancet. 2024 Jan 6;403(10421):55-66.
+ Useful links
+ Awards and recognition
• Golden Award 2022 de la Société Italienne d'athérosclérose
• Grand Prix Scientifique Christophe Mérieux de l'Institut de France 2021
• Prix d'excellence scientifique franco-libanais
• Prix du CNRS libanais en reconnaissance de l’excellence scientifique. Beyrouth
• Prix de thèse de la Chancellerie des Universités de Paris : Prix de thèse de Sciences Nathalie Demassieux remis dans les Grands Salons de la Sorbonne le 9 Décembre 2004 ;
pour la découverte du 3ème gène de l’hypercholestérolémie familiale : PCSK9
+ Resourcing
- Membre de la Société Européenne d’Athérosclérose EAS Investigateur Principal représentant le Liban
- Membre de l’Ordre des Pharmaciens du Liban et du Syndicat des biologistes au Liban
- Membre de la Conférence Internationale des Doyens des Facultés de Pharmacie d’Expression Française
- Membre du Comité exécutif de l’Association Scientifique des Facultés de pharmacie du Monde Arabe
- Membre du Réseau GABRIEL regroupant les Laboratoires Rodolphe Mérieux dans le Monde
- Membre de l’Académie Nationale française de Pharmacie – A titre étranger.
- Membre de l’EAS-FHSC (Société Européenne d’Athérosclérose, Steering Committee), Investigateur principal représentant le Liban.
- Membre de l’IAS-MENA region (Société Internationale d’Athérosclérose), représentant le Liban.