Strategic Focus: Alexis Cocozaki on the pathway to early discovery at Ipsen

“To succeed at this, you need to have some tolerance for failure and risk taking.”

At the heart of Ipsen’s early discovery efforts is a question of fit—how a molecule interacts with a disease-relevant protein, and what that means for therapeutic potential. Alexis Cocozaki’s team focuses on that exact space, applying biophysical and structural biology techniques to evaluate and optimize new assets at the atomic level.

“We isolate specific protein targets and run in vitro biochemical assays to identify molecules that inhibit those targets,” Alexis explained. Once a compound shows promise, they move into structural validation. “We determine the structure of the protein bound to the molecule to help guide the chemists in how to improve it.”

This work is foundational to structure-based drug design and early asset triage. By the time a compound reaches exploratory development, much of the molecular logic has already been built. “It’s about reducing uncertainty early—so later-stage teams can move with confidence.”

Early on, Alexis worked in hospital diagnostics—processing patient samples, analyzing infections, and generating data. That clinical exposure gave him a lasting sense of urgency. “It made me want to understand what was really going on at the molecular level. That’s where change begins.”

Structural biology, he believes, is undergoing its own shift. Tools for predicting protein structures, and the collective resource of artificial intelligence are beginning to accelerate a field once defined by months of trial and error. “The idea that we could pool together all of what’s out there into collective open source resources to help guide us on what we should focus on next will keep the industry moving forward at a fast pace.”

Through his efforts to anchor structure in strategy, Alexis is helping shape Ipsen’s approach to precision discovery—where insight builds momentum, and every atom mapped is a step toward what matters next.