Dr Michel Vaillant

Activities

Dr Michel Vaillant has a background in Biology, Statistics and Epidemiology from the Universities of Montpellier and Bordeaux, France. He joined LIH in 2003 after 5 years in a contract research organisation for the pharmaceutical industry as Data Manager and Statistician (1998-2003), a short journey in an epidemiological consulting office (1997) and a 2 years stay in the International Research Center of Franceville in Gabon (1995-1997).

He has applied up-to-date statistical methods to different clinical and epidemiological studies from analysis of variance to linear mixed models or generalized mixed models in the field of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

He has developed collaborations with partners acting in Poverty Related Infectious Diseases. With a strong background in Malaria epidemiology and clinical trials, Michel has been project leader for the data management and statistics aspects of 3 large clinical trials (≈ 3400 patients) with WHO/TDR.

Michel teaches clinical research, public health and research methods at the University of Metz and participates in the WHO/TDR capacity building programme, which allows African visiting scientists to be trained.

Research projects

     As Principal Investigator

• MULTIMOXIDOSEMOD: Moxidectin for accelerating onchocerciasis elimination: A paediatric dose-finding study, a phase 3b trial comparing efficacy and safety of annual and biannual moxidectin or ivermectin treatment and mathematical modelling of moxidectin and ivermectin based elimination strategies to support country policy decisions. EDCTP funded (H2020) project, LIH as coordinator, 10 participants, new study in the development of the Moxidectin drug
• aDSM-TB: Development and hosting of central database platform for collection of safety data in the scope of active TB drug-safety monitoring (UNICEF/UNDP/WB/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases)
• GATIFLOXACIN: Establishment of a database for a phase 3 clinical trial of tuberculosis (gatifloxacin-containing 4-month regimen vs. standard 6-month TB regimen) in SouthAfrica, Kenya, Guinea, Senegal and Benin– (validation of procedures for transfer of database), 2011-2015
• MOXIDECTIN: Establishment of a database for a phase 3 clinical trial of onchocerciasis (moxidectin vs. standard ivermectin), Statistical Analysis and reporting in Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, 2012-2016

    As Partner

• NCER-PD: National Centre of Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease publicly funded (FNR) project, member of the epidemiology and statistics platform

• MEMOLINGUA, LIH-funded neuroimaging project with the objective to observe the functional areas of the brain that are linked to the cognitive reserve and protection against the occurrence of Cognitive Impairment. (Biostatistician) 2015-2018

• Project co-funded by the LIH, an anonymous donor and the National Research Fund Luxembourg (FNR) in the framework of the PROVIE program. Can non motor signs be premotor signs in Parkinson’s disease? A longitudinal multicenter case-control study. (Biostatistician) 2005-2010

• National Research Fund Luxembourg (FNR) in the framework of the BIOSAN program. MEMOVIE, a project with the objective to examine in a prospective way, the biological factors (including genetic traits) and medical conditions associated with the occurrence and evolution of Moderate Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer-like Disease (AD). (Biostatistician) 2003-2012

Head of unit

Michel Vaillant, MS in statistical methods, MS in epidemiology, PhD in epidemiology/biostatistics, is the CCMS head of unit since april 2018 after retirement of the former Head, Prof Stephen Senn. He was deputy head of unit since 2013. He has past experience in research in Africa (1995-1997), epidemiology (1997), contract research organisation for pharmaceutical industry (1998-2003) and is with LIH since 2003 first as the single biostatistician in the institution. The unit has now grown up to 9 members.