Nicolas Voirin is founder and managing member of EPIMOD, a company providing applied research services in epidemiology and modeling of infectious diseases. As a scientist, his main interest is understanding infectious diseases epidemiology, prevention, treatment and control through statistical and mathematical modelling.
Tell us about your professional career.
I received training in biology, biomathematics, biostatistics, and epidemiology, and got my master’s degree dealing with HIV CD4 and viral load trajectories modelling, and my PhD on modelling hospital-acquired influenza, at Lyon University, France. My previous professional experience includes hospital-acquired infectious diseases epidemiology and biostatistics at Lyon Hospitals, cancer epidemiology at International Agency for Research on Cancer, and infectious diseases epidemiology and modelling (Influenza, Ebola, RSV, Gonorrhea and chlamydia, HIV, Malaria, HCV). In 2015, I founded EPIMOD, a human-sized company providing specialized applied research services in epidemiology and modelling of infectious diseases, working internationally with universities, NGOs, hospitals, ministries and other public and private institutions.
Can you please explain a bit about your role at Oxford Vaccine Group as part of the RESCEU project?
As part of the RESCEU project, I’m involved in the work package (WP) 3 aiming at efficiently use retrospective resources and analyse data from existing databases/networks in Europe. Concurrently with other WPs, WP3 aims at studying historically observed cost and resource consequences of RSV infection, using alternative approaches to establish and populate mathematical models of transmission and healthcare resource use. In this context, EPIMOD and I, as subcontractor of Sanofi Pasteur, participate actively in WP3 by developing dynamical mathematical models of RSV transmission and interventions impact, specifically suited for the EU populations. Based on the dynamic model, the direct and indirect effects of various, combined or not, immunization strategies can be estimated, and served as useful information for economic models.
How do you foresee the future of RSV infection after RESCEU project?
I think RESCEU is a unique opportunity to bring together researchers and decision makers, in order to catalyse and stimulate research on RSV. On the basis of this network, it is to be expected than an impressive structured knowledge and data will be generated and shared regarding RSV epidemiology, burden and economic impact. I hope that RESCEU will persist through the establishment of long-term academic and industry collaborations needed to provide patients of all age groups with effective prevention and treatment medicines.