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Jean-Paul Ortonne is Professor of Dermatology and Chairman, Department of Dermatology, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, and scientific director of the Clinical Pharmacology Centre Applied to Dermatology. Between 1990 and 2004 he was head of a research laboratory appointed by INSERM, which examined skin biology and physiopathology.
Professor Ortonne’s major medical interests are clinical pharmacology in dermatology and psoriasis melanin pigmentary disorders (in particular, vitiligo and pigmentary genodermatoses) and the dermo-epidermal junction. He is best known for his work on vitiligo and his group described a new component of the epidermal basement membrane, known as laminin-5, which is involved in the pathogenesis of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB).
Professor Ortonne is a founding member of the French Society for Dermatological Research and was President of this organisation between 1984 and 1985. He was a member of the board of directors of the Société Française de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie (President in 1996). During 1996-1998 Professor Ortonne was President of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, and he was the Secretary General of the World Congress of Dermatology in 2002. He was a member of the International Committee of Dermatology (1998-2007) and is member of the International Psoriasis Council.
Professor Ortonne has written over 560 clinical/research papers as well as monographs entitled ‘Vitiligo and other hypomelanoses of hair and skin’, and ‘Photo-damaged skin’ monograph. He is co-editor and co-author of the textbooks ‘The pigmentary system: Physiology and pathophysiology’ and ‘Mechanisms of sun-tanning’. | 