Raphaël Rodriguez

Raphaël Rodriguez serves as CNRS Research Director, Team Leader of the Biomedicine group, and Deputy Director of the Chemical Biology of Cancer research unit (U1339/UMR3666) at Institut Curie in Paris. His interdisciplinary work bridges synthetic chemistry and molecular biology to investigate metal ion-driven cellular processes.

His research focuses on metal-mediated cell adaptation in cancer and inflammation, revealing CD44's role in copper/iron uptake that regulates epigenetic programming and metabolic rewiring. Key innovations include identifying lysosomal iron as a ferroptosis trigger and developing first-in-class small molecules targeting metal-dependent pathways for therapy-resistant cancers.

Recent publications demonstrate consistent leadership in

• Metal ion trafficking in disease states
• Ferroptosis modulation for cancer therapy
• Chemical intervention in inflammation/ageing

with major contributions to understanding copper's role in NAD(H) redox cycling and iron's transcriptional regulation.

Award highlights:

• CNRS Silver Medal (2024)
• Liliane Bettencourt Prize (2023)
• Klaus Grohe Prize for drug development (2022)
• Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award

As Deputy Director of Research Unit, Rodriguez leads grant-funded projects developing chemical probes for cell adaptation mechanisms. His team's work on remodelin, ironomycin, and salinomycin has spawned multiple biotech ventures. Current efforts focus on translating metal-targeting molecules into clinical applications for therapy-resistant cancers and inflammatory disorders through Institut Curie's innovation ecosystem.

The Biomedicine team operates within Institut Curie's Chemical Biology of Cancer unit, utilizing integrated chemical biology platforms including click chemistry-based fluorescent tagging, multi-omics analysis, and organic synthesis facilities to dissect metal-dependent pathways in melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and acute kidney injury models.