Staff Spotlight: Jean-Hugues Parmentier, PhD

Since arriving at CHLA 10 years ago, Jean has conducted research in three different labs. First he studied the link between obesity and leukemia, then he targeted a metabolic pathway in Ewing sarcoma, and since 2020, he’s worked with Timothy Triche, MD, PhD, in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

“I enjoy research; I’ve always been very curious,” Jean shares. “I like to learn new things every day if I can.”

In his current project, he is helping to develop a liquid biopsy for solid tumors—a collaborative project with the Center for Personalized Medicine and USC. Jean isolates single tumor cells and cell-free DNA from patient blood samples and prepares libraries for next-generation sequencing of the DNA.

Originally from Lorraine, France, he earned a master’s and a PhD in pharmacology at the University of Lorraine. After a postdoc at the University of Tennessee, he spent five years working for Boehringer Ingelheim in Connecticut before joining CHLA.

“I like to collaborate, and everyone here shares a common interest in science,” he says. “I love knowing what other people are working on. You never know when they can help you—and when you can help them.”

On weekends, you’ll find Jean outdoors—either hiking or tending to his garden. He and his wife and two daughters also love to travel. Some of their favorite U.S. destinations? National parks, especially the Grand Canyon and nearby Horseshoe Bend.