Dr. Christian Loucq named director of PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative

May 25, 2007 by PATH

Infectious diseases Vaccines

Contact:
Ellen Cole, +1 206.285.3500, ecole@path.org, or Preeti Singh, +1 301.652.1558, Ext. 101.

Seattle, May 25, 2007—PATH today announced the appointment of Christian Loucq, MD, as the new director of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), a program dedicated to accelerating the development of malaria vaccines and assuring their accessibility and availability in the developing world. Malaria is a disease that continues to kill close to one million children in sub-Saharan Africa a year.

Dr. Loucq joined MVI as the director of strategy and operations for the program this past February, and will assume his new post on June 1. “I am immensely pleased to have Christian Loucq heading the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative,” said Christopher J. Elias, MD, MPH, president of PATH. “With his 30 years of experience in medicine, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and global health, he has the talents we need to lead MVI toward its goal of safe and effective malaria vaccines for children in Africa.”

Remarking on his appointment, Dr. Loucq said, “I am thrilled and honored at being selected as permanent director of MVI, where success means the ability to save hundreds of thousands of lives within our lifetime. Thanks to the MVI team, its partners and donors, and my two predecessors, Regina Rabinovich and Melinda Moree, the world has never been closer to having an efficacious malaria vaccine. I look forward to the day when even the poorest of families have access to this life-saving tool.”

Dr. Loucq’s professional experience spans the globe: born and educated in France, he has lived and worked in Algeria, Belgium, Chad, China, India, the Netherlands, Niger, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. In addition, Dr. Loucq has managed vaccine businesses in China, India, and Thailand. He has been involved in most stages of vaccine development and has worked with large vaccine companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur, and biotech companies including Rhein Biotech and, more recently, Acambis. He has extensive experience partnering with local governments and building public-private partnerships as well as setting up local private collaborations. He earned his state doctorate of human medicine at the University of Paris X and a diploma of public health and tropical medicine from the University of Aix-Marseilles.

"This is an exciting time in the malaria vaccine field,” said Dr. Elias. “I believe that we at PATH are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Loucq’s caliber as a member of our team.”