Metals in Biology and Redox Homeostasis

Inorganic complexes are powerful tools for biological applications, both as metallodrugs and metalloprobes. Our research bridges coordination chemistry and cell biology, translating molecules designed at the bench into functional tools in living cells and animals. We exploit tailor-made metal complexes for therapeutic purposes and as probes, with a strong focus on oxidative stress.

We develop metalloenzyme mimics with antioxidant activity and investigate their behavior in biological environments, primarily in human cell models relevant to diverse pathological conditions. In parallel, we design metal-based systems as probes for unconventional imaging modalities, such as infrared and X-ray fluorescence.

Our work addresses redox homeostasis and its link with endogenous metal ions through the development of methods and biological tools to image and quantify hydrogen peroxide and metal ions, with applications in inflammation, oxidative stress induced by drugs, tissue regeneration and morphogenesis.

Our credo motto: “Simul and singulis” — being together and remaining ourselves — reflects our collaborative and interdisciplinary approach.

The research group METHROX at the International Symposium on Metallomics that we have hosted in Oct. 2025

Institutions

CPCV is financially supported by the following institutions: the Ecole normale supérieure (ENS-PSL), Paris Sciences et Lettres university (PSL university), Sorbonne university (SU), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and CNRS Chimie. We wish to warmly thank all of the institutions that make our work possible.

The group is a member of the FrenchBIC, French network in bioinorganic chemistry and SBIC, international society in bioinorganic chemistry.

Within PSL, we are leading with Raphaël Rodriguez and Gilles Gasser the PSL “major research program” entitled Chem Cell State which focuses on controlling cellular state with a particular focus on metal ions that play key roles in these processes. Notably, metal chemistry is a prevalent theme across various PSL University institutions, including ENS-PSL, Chimie Paris, Institut Curie, ESPCI-PSL, École des Mines, Collège de France and EPHE. The program aims to foster a strong PSL-based network on this topic.

Additional information: please visit https://ens-bic.fr/