Martine Coupez, whose mother was a lawyer who graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences-Po), and whose father was a doctor, studied at the Lycée Victor-Duruy in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. After passing her baccalaureate in elementary mathematics, she chose pharmacy, attracted by chemistry, natural sciences and physics. She wanted to do research right away. First a hospital intern in the Paris region – which gave her material independence – she was then an intern for three years at Broussais Hospital in Paris, where she met her husband Gilbert Aiach, a surgical intern. Even though she had three children in three years, M. Aiach never abandoned her professional life. She was particularly interested in the mechanisms of blood coagulation called “hemostasis”, and surrounded herself with a small group of collaborators. This team expanded over time until it included numerous researchers who helped her until her retirement. The success of her research led her to apply to the INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, first with a young trainee contract, and in 1995, to an INSERM Unit (U 428) belonging to the School of Pharmacy. Her research field is thromboembolic diseases in venous or arterial pathology. The occurrence of these accidents is often linked to family, to structural anomalies of certain factors or inhibitors of coagulation. Dr. Aiach is interested in the genetic aspect of antithrombin deficiency, an inhibitor of the coagulation enzyme, thrombin, the defect of which is responsible for accidents hitherto very poorly known. In the 1980s, she pioneered the development of the PCR technique, which identifies molecular-level changes and DNA mutations in patient families. These discoveries place her team at the forefront of international competition, especially since this research is done in collaboration with prestigious laboratories in several countries. M. Aiach envisioned vascular regeneration as early as 2002, an ambition she is currently pursuing by setting up a research network on endothelial progenitors. Her teaching, which contributes to the training of doctors in pharmacy for research and pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry, should also be highlighted. Dr. Aiach’s contribution to the understanding of hereditary thromboembolic diseases and the establishing of their molecular basis has been esteemed by the Gaston Rousseau Prize from the Academy of Sciences and by numerous invitations to speak at national and international levels. She was Dean of the School of Pharmacy at Paris-Descartes University from 2007 to 2012, the year she retired.
