Corine Boucraut-Baralon

Corine Boucraut-Baralon graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the National Veterinary School in Toulouse (ENVT), France, in 1985 before undertaking a Masters and a PhD in Virology at the Paul Sabatier University of Sciences in Toulouse, entitled "Identification and study of myxoma virus antigens".

From 1990 to 2006, Corine Boucraut-Baralon was Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Biology and Genetics in ENVT. For the first ten years, Dr Corine Boucraut-Baralon worked as Head of Virology Unit in the ENVT- INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology.

The focus of her research was to study immunology of poxvirus infection in order to develop new vaccines. Her team developed a bivalent recombinant vaccine against rabbit haemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis using myxoma virus as vector, which was patented in 1998. In 2000, Corine Boucraut-Baralon left her lab to create Scanelis, a molecular diagnostic private company, developing real-time PCR assays for quantification of pathogens, genes and mRNA. In 2000, Scanelis was an award winner of the first French Competition for Innovative projects and received a grant from the Research Ministry to develop real-time PCR veterinary diagnostic tests.

Dr Boucraut-Baralon is currently General Manager and Chief Scientific Officer of Scanelis. Her particular research interests lie in epidemiology and diagnosis of canine and feline infectious diseases, especially Canine distemper, Canine parvovirosis, Feline and Canine coronavirosis, Panleukopenia, and Feline calicivirosis.

Since 2000, Corine Boucraut-Baralon taught in many postgraduate courses and training schemes in France for veterinarians and physicians. The topics of these courses are epidemiology and diagnostic of infectious diseases.