On March 25, 2026, Dr Florence Ottones, member of the ABCardionostics project coordination team at CRMSB – University of Bordeaux, successfully defended her Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) in Life and Health Sciences.
The HDR is a major academic qualification in the French research system. It certifies a researcher’s ability to conduct and lead independent research, supervise doctoral students and develop a long-term scientific research strategy.
Her HDR, titled “Diagnosis & therapy of atherosclerosis targeting macrophages,” reflects a strong and coherent research path focused on macrophage biology and the development of antibody-based strategies to better understand and address atherosclerosis.
The quality and clarity of her presentation were highlighted during the defense. Her research trajectory demonstrates a consistent focus on macrophage-targeted approaches, while evolving toward innovative diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Her work on antibodies represents an important contribution to biological and translational research in this field.
Florence also plays an active role in the ABCardionostics project, contributing her expertise to the development of novel approaches targeting immune cells involved in atherosclerosis.
We warmly thank the members of the jury, Dr Aksam Merched, Dr Wilfried Le Goff, Dr François Canonne-Hergaux, Dr Gisèle Clofent-Sanchez, Dr Anne Poupon and Dr Véronique Giudicelli, for their expertise, feedback and insightful discussions.
Congratulations to Florence on this important academic milestone!