"Marine worms to the rescue of the severely burned" - Meeting with scientist Franck Zal
When: 25.09.2026 20:00
Where: 48.856188, 2.355693
Organizer: Admin
A discovery that revolutionizes medicine!
On the Breton beaches, between two tides, a marine worm, the sandworm, hides beneath sand mounds well known to walkers. This little worm survives six hours without breathing thanks to its hemoglobin that binds forty times more oxygen than human hemoglobin!
A true treasure beneath the sand from which Franck Zal, researcher at the CNRS in Roscoff, has derived an oxygenating molecule that revolutionizes global surgery. Already used for transplants, it can meet oxygen needs in many cases: wound healing, burns, strokes, cranial traumas, sickle cell disease…
In 2023, Hemarina, Franck Zal’s Breton start‑up, attracts investors from around the world. The researcher recounts this extraordinary breakthrough for humanity. He also tells his extraordinary journey, from a worker’s child who, following his parents’ path — work, courage and perseverance — rose to the highest scientific level despite jealousy, obstacles, espionage.
His book Un trésor sous le sable is written with Elena Sender, biologist, science journalist, author and director, and Robert Thibierge, documentary filmmaker and producer.
Meeting by appointment with Bibliocité: Bibliocité | Register for an event
Learn more about Franck Zal
Franck Zal is a French scientist, doctor in marine biology. His work in the field of hemoglobin earned him the CNRS bronze medal in 2001. In 2007, he left the CNRS and founded HEMARINA, a biopharmaceutical laboratory specialized in developing health products based on the properties of the hemoglobin of the marine sandworm. He publishes Un trésor sous le sable with Les Arènes editions in 2024. He won the European Inventor Award 2026 in the “SME” category.
Tags: medical breakthrough, science, venture capital
Source: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/les-vers-marins-a-la-rescousse-des-grands-brules-rencontre-avec-le-scientifique-franck-zal-115294
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