My CV

1. CURRICULUM VITAE
IDENTITY: MEURENS François
Born in Louvain, Belgium on May 22nd
, 1976
ADDRESS: App. 214, 325-5th
Avenue North
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 2P7
Canada
Phone: +001 306 9668874
E-mail: fmeurens@yahoo.fr
francois.meurens@usask.ca
Profil on: http://www.linkedin.com
EDUCATION: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine, Université Catholique de
Louvain, UCL (first 3 years) and Université de Liège, ULg (last 3
years), Belgium, 2000 (highest grade, rank: 1/168).
Master of Veterinary Sciences (DEA), Université de Liège,
ULg, Belgium, 2001 (highest grade). Master’s thesis: “Study on
molecular recombination in bovine herpesvirus 1”.
PhD in Veterinary Sciences (Virology), Université de Liège,
ULg, Belgium, 10 September 2004 (highest grade). “Influence
of superinfection delay and genetic relatedness on bovine
herpesvirus 1 recombination”.
Postdoctoral fellow, University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and
Infectious Disease organization (VIDO, Saskatoon, Canada),
4/01/2005 to 01/10/2006. Training period as INRA scientist in
the same place from October 2006 to March 2007.
Immunology training courses, « 18ème
cours annuel
d’immunologie de la société française d’immunologie » (30h),
Carry le Rouet, France, March 12-15th
, 2008.
Curriculum Vitae, François Meurens, 1

2. Authorization to lead research (HDR), Université François
Rabelais, Tours, France. September 2008 (highest grade). A
degree required in France to supervise graduate students.
Immunology training courses, « 19ème
cours annuel
d’immunologie de la société française d’immunologie » (30h),
La Grande Motte, France, April 1st
to 4th
, 2009.
Immunology training courses, « 20ème
cours annuel
d’immunologie de la société française d’immunologie » (30h),
La Grande Motte, France, March 29th
-April 1st
, 2010.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER AND MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:
♦ Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO-InterVac, 05/2012-now
Saskatoon, Canada), Research Scientist III
(Porcine immunology and infectious diseases)
♦ Veterinary Microbiology Department (University of Saskatchewan, 06/2012-06/2017
Saskatoon, Canada), Adjunct Professor.
♦ National Institute of Agronomy Research (INRA), Scientist CR1, 10/2006-05/2012
UR1282, Team leader.
“Relations Hôte/Pathogène dans le modèle Porcin” then, « Virologie
et Immunologie des muqueuses ». Ranked A (AERES 2012).
Teaching (Master 2, ICMV, Animal experimentation and Licence3 MAI)
at Université François Rabelais, Tours, France (approximately 20h/year).
♦ Postdoctoral fellow at Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization 01/2005-10/2006
(VIDO), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
♦ Assistant at the service of virology and epidemiology 10/2004-12/2004
University of Liège (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Belgium).
♦ FNRS research fellow (National Research Funds of Belgium) 10/2000-10/2004
Study of genetic recombination in Alphaherpesvirinae family.
♦ Private veterinary practice, companion animals. 07/2000
Practice in collaboration with Dr M. Reuliaux in Nil St-Vincent.
Belgium
♦ Student jobs Summer 1994,
95, 96, 97, 99.
-French Community Department of “Enseignement Supérieur et Recherche
Scientifique”.
-Université de Liège (Physiology of Reproduction, Professeur J-F Beckers Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine). Belgium.
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND COLLABORATIONS:
Curriculum Vitae, François Meurens, 2

3. Porcine immunology (innate immune response, host/pathogen interactions,
development of the neonatal immune system, lymphocyte trafficking), Virology (bovine
herpesviruses, porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus, and influenza),
Parasitology (Entamoeba histolytica), Bacteriology (Chlamydia suis and trachomatis,
Salmonella enterica, Escherischia coli), Probiotics (Saccharomyces cerevisae), Vaccinology
(vaccine development and safety assessment), Pig model development, Veterinary
Sciences, and Animal experimentation.
Previous leader of the team “Host/Pathogen Interactions in Pig" in Tours (INRA,
France) until my moving to VIDO (Canada; Principal Investigator and Adjunct Professor in
Veterinary Microbiology). My team studies host/pathogen interactions in the pig model and
aims at developing new porcine models to study human pathogens (C. trachomatis) and to
test new candidate vaccines.
Consulting activity for Danone Research (France).
Several collaborations:
-Porcine infectious diseases (Pr. Carl Gagnon), Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Collaboration on PRRSV and porcine trachea epithelial cells.
-Porcine Immunology (Pr. Armin Saalmüller), Institute of Immunology, Department of
Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria. Collaboration on T cells in
pigs.
-Biologie cellulaire du Parasitisme (Dr. Nancy Guillén), INSERM U786, Pasteur Institute
(Paris, France): This collaboration is about Entamoeba histolytica and the establishment of a
porcine model of this human parasite.
-Graft and dendritic cells team (Pr. Yvon Lebranchu) at Université François Rabelais (Tours,
France): This collaboration is about porcine dendritic cells.
-“Laboratoire des bactéries lactiques et immunité des muqueuses” (Dr. Bruno Pot) at Pasteur Institute
(Lille, France): The goal of this collaboration is the development of probiotic vector (Lactoccocus and
Lactobacillus) able to secrete cytokines or chemokines.
-Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis (Pr. Artur Summerfield) (Mittelhäusern,
Switzerland): We have frequent collaborations with this Institute (monoclonal antibodies
workshop).
-Veterinary University of Hannover, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, TiHo (Pr. Georg
Herrler) (Hanovre, Germany). We have collaborations about porcine flu and new system to
study interactions between the virus and the host.
-Agence nationale chargée de la sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et
du travail, Anses (Dr. Gaëlle Simon) (Ploufragan, France). We have collaborations about
porcine flu.
SCIENTIFIC WORKS:
ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
Curriculum Vitae, François Meurens, 3

4. The “ranking” of the articles comes from “Journal of Citation report, 2012”. See publication
list.
KEY PERSONAL FEATURES:
- Able to work independently or in teams. I supervised studies thesis of numerous
graduate students.
- Ability to analyse and resolve complex situations.
- Open and positive minded, dynamic and entrepreneurial. Able to build up excellent
and reliable relationship with people.
- Adaptable to different types of responsibilities and styles. At ease in multicultural
environments.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:
TECHNICAL: Able to use different techniques like cell, virus and protozoa
(Entamoeba histolytica) cultures, tissue explant culture, RT-qPCR
(SYBR green and Taqman), RACE PCR, electrophoresis (conventional
and pulsed field), Southern and Western blot, cloning, simple and
double immunofluorescence staining, animal experimentation (levels 2
and 3 facilities), clinical monitoring.
SCIENTIFIC: Originally specialized in virology and the research on herpesviruses
such as bovine herpesvirus 1. I wrote a number of publications in
scientific journals and presentations at congress (details provided
above). Then, I started to work on the pig model (pig immunology and
development of pig models for the study of various human diseases). I
am still currently involved in the pig research.
LANGUAGE CAPABILITY: -French: Mother language.
-English: Fluent.
-Spanish: Good knowledge.
AWARDS AND GRANTS:
-Coordinator for a project funded by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF,
establishment grant), “Establishment of a porcine model to study human genital Gonorrhoea
and Chlamydia”, 120,000 Canadian dollars (2013-2016).
-Coordinator for a project funded by the “Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada” (NSERC, discovery grant), “Les protéines Suppressor of Cytokine
Signalling (SOCS) et leur implication dans la régulation de la réponse innée aux infections
virales porcines”, 30,000 Canadian dollars (2013-2015).
-Co-PI in a grant from European NADI program, coordinator: Georg Herrler, “Innate immune
responses after infection with swine influenza virus H1N1 in naïve SPF pigs or SPF pigs pre-
infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae”, 20,000 euros (2012-2013).
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5. -Co-PI in a Region Centre Grant on porcine cystic fibrosis model, coordinator: Bertrand
Schwartz, “Modèle d'Infections Respiratoires par Pseudomonas aeruginosa chez le porc”,
100,000 euros (2012-2014).
-Co-PI in an ANR program Sus_Flora, coordinator: Claire Rogel-Gaillard, “Gut microbiota
and homeostasis of immune system in swine: a joint genetic and genomic study”, 769,130
euros/3 years (2011-2014).
-Co-PI in a grant from Lesaffre SA to study the immuno-modulatory effect of Saccharomyces
cerevisae in the porcine model of enterotoxigenic colibacillosis, coordinator: Henri Salmon,
168,000 euros/3 years (2008-2011).
-PTR (transversal program) Pasteur (Paris)/INRA, coordinators of the program: François
Meurens and Fabienne Girard-Misguich, “Development of an immunopathologic swine model
for intestinal human amoebiasis”, 118,000 euros/2 years (2008-2010).
-Travel Grant from the French Embassy in Canada 2007 (2000 euros).
-Rotary District 1630 Grant 2005 (9000 euros) for international studies.
-First prize 2000 of the veterinary journal: “Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire” for studies
thesis: detection of recombinant viruses after co-infection of calves with two bovine
herpesvirus 1 strains.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS:
• Member of French Veterinary Order (Région Centre) 2009-2012: Number 23649.
• Member of the Belgian Veterinary Order August 2000-December 2004: Number 3744.
• Member of the “Société Française d’Immunologie” 2008-2012: Number 3518.
• Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal: Veterinary Immunology and
Immunopathology since January 2010, World Journal of Immunology since August 2012, and
Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine since March 2014.
• Member of the Administrative Board of AFMVP (“Association Française de Médecine
Vétérinaire Porcine”). since December 2010.
• Member of the Ethics Committee Val de Loire (2010-2012) (Veterinarian group).
• Member of the Ethics Committee University of Saskatchewan (AREB) (since June 2012).
PERSONAL INTERESTS:
-History, world news, swimming, classical and rock music.
REFERENCES:
-Pr. Etienne Thiry (Université de Liège, Belgique)
Etienne.Thiry@ulg.ac.be
-Pr. Georg Herrler (Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany)
Georg.Herrler@tiho-hannover.de
-Dr. Nancy Guillén (Institut Pasteur, France)
nancy.guillen@pasteur.fr
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6. -Dr. Sasha Gogev (Pfizer) (Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgique)
sacha.gogev@pfizer.com
Last update : 26/04/2014
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7. -Dr. Sasha Gogev (Pfizer) (Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgique)
sacha.gogev@pfizer.com
Last update : 26/04/2014
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