Laurence Vico-Pouget

Laurence Vico-Pouget is a Research Director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), and Faculty member at the SAINBIOSE laboratory (U1059) at the University of Saint-Étienne. Her mission is to better understand how bone tissue adapts not only to mechanical constraints, but also to energetic and metabolic challenges, and to translate this knowledge into strategies to prevent bone loss associated with spaceflight, immobilization, or ageing. Her pioneering work includes collaborations with NASA and ESA and ground-based analog studies, providing key insights into bone loss mechanisms in astronauts as well as in patients suffering from osteoporosis or immobilization. She develops innovative imaging and mechanobiology approaches to better understand bone structure, vascularization, and repair, and contributes to testing countermeasures such as centrifugation with exercise. Her work not only deepens our understanding of human adaptation to space but also brings crucial insights for terrestrial medicine, particularly in the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures.