Hélène Tran is Research Director in the Neurology Therapeutic Area at the Servier Research & Development Institute in Paris-Saclay, where she leads efforts in antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics development. Her team is dedicated to advancing ASO therapies for brain disorders addressing key technological challenges related to central nervous system delivery, safety and stability.

Prior to joining Servier in late 2018, Hélène held an academic appointment as Instructor at UMASS Medical School, Worcester, USA in the laboratory of Professor Robert Brown. Her research focused on (1) investigating the role of RNA repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of C9ORF72-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using a diverse set of disease models ranging from flies to patient derived cells and (2) advancing ASO therapeutic approaches in collaboration with the Watts lab at the RNA Therapeutic Institute and the team of Wave Life Sciences. Hélène began her scientific career at the University of Lille, France, where she completed her doctoral studies investigating the contribution of repeat RNA to neuronal toxicity in myotonic dystrophy.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 2024 Mary Ann Liebert Publishers, Inc.  Young Investigator Award from the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS); the inaugural Servier Group Award from the Servier Executive Committee for her team’s pioneering work on a potential ASO therapy for a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, and the Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the ALS Association.

Hélène serves on the advisory board of ERDERA (European Rare Disease Research Alliance) supporting efforts to accelerate research in prevention, diagnosis and treatment for rare disease patients. She is also an active member of the N1Collaborative, a global initiative committed to advancing  individualized medicine and ensuring safe and rapid access to patients worldwide.