Michel Lazdunski

Michel Lazdunski is a leading figure in the life sciences and molecular pharmacology. His work has profoundly shaped our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of life and opened up long-term therapeutic prospects in several major fields of contemporary medicine.

Michel Lazdunski earned his first PhD—in physical chemistry—at Université Laval followed by a second—in biochemistry—at Université de Marseille. He has devoted most of his career to the study of ion channels, veritable molecular machines at the heart of the functioning of the nervous system, the heart, and muscles. His research has shed light on how these channels control cellular electrical activity and how these mechanisms can be harnessed to treat numerous diseases. This has profoundly transformed our understanding of the mechanisms involved in conditions such as pain, epilepsy, depression, cardiovascular and neurovascular disease, and cystic fibrosis, while paving the way for innovative therapeutic strategies.

A professor of science and later of medicine at Université de Nice and a professor at Institut Universitaire de France, Michel Lazdunski has founded and directed several world-class research institutions, including the Centre de biochimie CNRS in Nice and the Institut CNRS de pharmacologie moléculaire et cellulaire at Sophia Antipolis. He is recognized internationally as a specialist in ion channels and channelopathies and has contributed to the discovery and characterization of new classes of channels and to the identification of therapeutic targets that are now central to modern pharmacology. His work exemplifies the transformative link between excellence in basic research and concrete clinical applications.

Beyond his scientific discoveries, Michel Lazdunski has distinguished himself through his visionary leadership and sustained commitment to the scientific community. He has played a decisive role in organizing research in Europe, serving on numerous national and international scientific councils, evaluation committees, and editorial boards of major journals. His efforts to support the training of the next generation of researchers and the development of centres of excellence have had a lasting impact on several generations of researchers.

Michel Lazdunski has notably received the CNRS Gold Medal, two Grand Prix from the Académie des sciences, and the Ernst Jung Foundation’s Gold Medal for Medicine—awards that rank among the highest honours in France and internationally. He is a member of Académie des sciences, Academia Europaea and Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique.

Université Laval is pleased to award Michel Lazdunski an honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements that have helped shape modern research on ion channels and their therapeutic applications.