Irina Gbalou

Irina loves all things about technology. She is committed to creating a sustainable future by staying on the cutting-edge of emerging tech and new methodologies. After several experiences, she demonstrated her ability to handle synbio projects within internationally renowned biomedical research institutes such as Institut Pasteur, LAAS (Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems) and TBI (Toulouse Biotechnological Institute – Bio & Chemical engineering). Before founding SynHelix, Irina managed a project that aimed at engineering a human DNA polymerase to switch its activity and synthesize RNA fragments, useful to generate aptamers for diagnostic tools. She co-authored 10 peer-reviewed articles, and is inventor of 1 patent. She won 4 scientific communication awards in the framework of her PhD and postdoctoral project.

Irina is a graduate of University of Toulouse with a PhD in Microbial and Enzyme engineering. She holds also a Biochemical engineering Master degree from INSA Toulouse (National Institute of Applied Sciences). Recently, she has completed a Business and Entrepreneurship training certificate from HEC Paris business school.