Elias Estephan

Elias Estephan, PhD

Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering

810
Université La Sagesse – Main Campus P.O. Box 50501, Furn El Chebbak, Lebanon
elias.estephan@uls.edu.lb
Job Title / Responsibilities

Elias Estephan is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at La Sagesse University, Lebanon, and holds an HDR and PhD in Biomedical from the University of Montpellier, France. He has served as head of multiple departments, including Biomedical Engineering and Neuroimaging, and coordinated program development and laboratory creation in physics, mechatronics, and biomedical engineering. His research spans biophysics, biosensing, biomaterials, nanotechnology, and neuroimaging, with applications in medical diagnostics and materials science. Dr. Estephan has supervised several master’s theses and co-supervised PhD students internationally. He is an IFAC affiliate, a member of institutional research and ethics committees, and has authored patents, book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed publications. He regularly chairs sessions and presents at international conferences.

Qualifications

  • HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in Biomedical, University of Montpellier, 2025
  • PhD in Biomedical, University of Montpellier, 2009
  • Research Master’s in Condensed Matter Physics, University of Montpellier, 2005
  • Master’s in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Instrumentation), University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 2004
  • Bachelor’s in General Physics, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, 2002–2003
  • Extensive academic leadership experience (department head, program coordinator, committee memberships)
  • Expertise in biophysics, biosensing, nanotechnology, neuroimaging, and biomaterials
  • Strong record of research output (patents, book chapters, >45 peer-reviewed publications)
  • International teaching and supervisory experience (master’s and PhD students)

Professional Experience

Biomaterials Specialist & Consultant

Triquetec SAS-FR – Montpellier, France

Jume 2022 – Present

  • Provided expert advice on Dental and Orthopedic biomaterials

Associate/Biomaterials Specialist & Consultant

2EAMED – Beirut, Lebanon

Jume 2024 – Present

  • Provided expert advice on Dental biomaterials

Teaching interests

  • Biophysics and Biomedical Physics
  • Medical Instrumentation and Biosensing Technologies
  • Neuroimaging Principles and Applications (MRI, CT, PET…..)
  • Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
  • Radiation Protection and Safety in Healthcare
  • Electronics and Mechatronics for Biomedical Systems
  • Imaging Processing and Signal Analysis in Medicine
  • Applied Nanotechnology in Biomedical Engineering

Research interests

  • Nanotechnology for Biomedical Applications: 1-Biosensing and Biofunctionalization of Semiconductors for medical diagnostics. 2-Design and characterization of nanomaterials (ZnO, Cu-based, graphitic carbon nitride) for biosensors, photocatalysis, and medical devices.
  • Neuroimaging and Brain Mapping: MRI-based studies of neurodegenerative diseases, neuro-ophthalmology, and structural/functional connectivity.
  • Biophysics and Biomaterials: Investigation of optical, rheological, and adhesion properties of biomaterials for dental and orthopedic implants.
  • Biomedical Device Innovation: Development of minimally invasive tools and hybrid devices integrating AI and IoT for healthcare monitoring.
  • Cell-Material Interactions: Studying nanomechanical and morphological properties of healthy vs. pathological treated cells.

Publications

Patents

  • Gergely, C., Estephan, E., Saab, M. B., Larroque, C., & Cuisinier, F. J. G. (2011). Peptide derivatives for biofunctionalization of silicon substrates and their applications. Patent EP2385057 A1, WO 2011/138757, US 2013/0131314 A1.
  • Cuisinier, F. J. G., Panayotov, I., Gergely, C., Larroque, C., & Estephan, E. (2015). Bifunctional peptidic compound for cell adhesion. Patent WO 2015/124767A1.

Book Chapter

  • Adly, A. S., Adly, A. S., Malthiery, E., Shah, S. A., Estephan, E., & Adly, M. S. (2024). Enabling artificial intelligence on IoT edge: Smart approaches and solutions for providing remote dental and medical services. In S. Pal, C. Savaglio, R. Minerva, & F. C. Delicato (Eds.), IoT Edge Intelligence (Internet of Things). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58388-9_13

Journal papers

  • Estephan, E., Larroque, C., Martineau, P., Cloitre, T., & Gergely, C. (2007). Functionalization of semiconductors for biosensing applications. Proceedings of SPIE, 6592, 65920Z. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.721906
  • Estephan, E., Larroque, C., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Bálint, Z., & Gergely, C. (2008). Tailoring GaN semiconductor surfaces with biomolecules. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 112(29), 8799–8805. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp804112y
  • Estephan, E., Larroque, C., Cloitre, T., Cuisinier, F. J. G., & Gergely, C. (2008). Specific peptide for functionalization of GaN. Proceedings of SPIE, 6991, 699121. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.781205
  • Martin, M., Saab, M. B., Cloitre, T., Estephan, E., Legros, R., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Zimányi, L., & Gergely, C. (2008). A multitechnique study of Bacteriorhodopsin’s photonics towards new optical devices. Proceedings of SPIE, 6991, 69910A. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.781016
  • Estephan, E., Larroque, C., Bec, N., Martineau, P., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Cloitre, T., & Gergely, C. (2009). Selection and mass spectrometry characterization of peptides targeting semiconductor surfaces. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 104(6), 1121–1131. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.22478
  • Estephan, E., Saab, M. B., Larroque, C., Martin, M., Olsson, F., Lourdudoss, S., & Gergely, C. (2009). Peptides for functionalization of InP semiconductors. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 337(2), 358–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2009.05.040
  • Saab, M. B., Estephan, E., Cloitre, T., Legros, R., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Zimanyi, L., & Gergely, C. (2009). Assembly of purple membranes on polyelectrolyte films. Langmuir, 25(9), 5159–5167. https://doi.org/10.1021/la9002274
  • Estephan, E., Bajoni, D., Saab, M. B., Cloitre, T., Aulombard, R., Larroque, C., Andreani, L. C., Liscidini, M., Malvezzi, A. M., & Gergely, C. (2010). Sensing by means of nonlinear optics with functionalized GaAs/AlGaAs photonic crystals. Langmuir, 26(12), 10373–10379. https://doi.org/10.1021/la1000792
  • Saab, M. B., Estephan, E., Cloitre, T., Larroque, C., & Gergely, C. (2010). Peptide route functionalization of ZnSe crystals preserves activity and structure of protein while adsorption. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 114(43), 18509–18515. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp104974c
  • Estephan, E., Saab, M. B., Buzatu, P., Aulombard, R., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Gergely, C., & Cloitre, T. (2010). Biomolecular detection using a metal semiconductor field effect transistor. Proceedings of SPIE, 7715, 77151V. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853536
  • Saab, M. B., Estephan, E., Martin, M., Bec, N., Larroque, C., Cloitre, T., & Gergely, C. (2010). Morphological differences between normal and cancerous mammalian cells via multitechnique microscopic studies. Proceedings of SPIE, 7715, 771518. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853531
  • Estephan, E., Martin, M., Saab, M.B., Cuisinier, F. J.G., Briot, O., Ruffenach, S., Moret, M., & Gergely, C. (2011). “Phages recognizing the Indium Nitride semiconductor surface via their peptides.” J. Peptide Science, 17(2), 143-147. https://doi.org/10.1002/psc.1315
  • Estephan, E., Saab, M.B., Agarwal, V., Cuisinier, F. J.G., Larroque, C., & Gergely, C. (2011). “Peptides for the biofunctionalization of silicon for the use in optical sensing with porous silicon microcavities.” Advanced Functional Materials, 21(11), 2003-2011. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201002742
  • Saab, M.B., Estephan, E., Bec, N., Larroque, M., Aulombard, R., Cloitre, T., & Gergely, C. (2011). “Multi-microscopic study of curcumin effect on fixed nonmalignant and cancerous mammalian epithelial cells.” J. of biophotonics, 4(7-8), 533-543. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201000119
  • Estephan, E., Saab, M. B., Martin, M., Cloitre, T., Larroque, C., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Malvezzi, A. M., & Gergely, C. (2011). Molecular detection via hybrid peptide-semiconductor photonic devices. Proceedings of SPIE, 7888, 788807. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.874691
  • Martin, M., Massif, L., Estephan, E., Saab, M.B., Cloitre, T., Larroque, C., Agarwal, V., Cuisinier, F.J.G., Le Lay, G., & Gergely, C. (2011). “Intimate effects of surface functionalization on biosensing performances with porous silicon microcavities”. Proc. of SPIE, 8104, 81040M. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893379
  • Estephan, E., Dao, J., Saab, M. B., Panayotov, I., Martin, M., Larroque, C., Gergely, C., Cuisinier, F. J. G., & Levallois, B. (2012). SVSVGMKPSPRP: a broad range adhesion peptide. Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik, 57(6), 481–489. https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt-2011-0109
  • Martin, M., Massif, L., Estephan, E., Saab, M.B., Cloitre, T., Larroque, C., Agarwal, V., Cuisinier, F.J.G., Le Lay, G., & Gergely, C. (2012). “Effect of surface functionalization of porous silicon microcavities on biosensing performance”. Journal of Nanophotonics, 6, 061506, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JNP.6.061506
  • Estephan, E., Aguié-Béghin, V., Muraille, L., & Molinari, M. (2012). “Substrate and film structure impacts on adhesion properties between lignocellulosic polymers”. MRS Proceedings, 1422, QQ07-09. https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2012.55
  • Saab, M. B., Bec, N., Martin, M., Estephan, E., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Larroque, C., & Gergely, C. (2013). Differential effect of curcumin on the nanomechanics of normal and cancerous mammalian epithelial cells. Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics, 65, 399–411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-012-9443-1
  • Panayotov, I., Dao, J., Cuisinier, F.J.G., Martin, M., Estephan, E., Gergely, C., & Végh, A.G. (2013). “Bi-functional peptides to promote epithelial sealing on Ti and Ti6Al4V”. IEEE Bioengineering Conference, 319–320. doi: 10.1109/NEBEC.2013.170
  • Ramakrishnan, S., Estephan, E., Martin, M., Cloitre, T., & Gergely, C. (2013). Probing the mechanism of material specific peptides for optical biosensors. Proceedings of SPIE, 8765, 87650A. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017464
  • Saab, M. B., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2019). Biosensing using a simple resistor: The effect of functionalization on sensing devices. Journal of Sensors, 2019, 6291389. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/6291389
  • Masri, O. S., Abiad, B., Darwich, M. J., Sarkis, P. A., El Mollayess, G. M., Nasser, Z., Fares, Y., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2021). Morphological changes in amblyopic eyes in choriocapillaris and Sattler’s layer in comparison to healthy eyes, and in retinal nerve fiber layer in comparison to fellow eyes through quantification of mean reflectivity: A pilot study. PLoS ONE, 16(8), e0255735. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255735
  • Summaka, M., Hannoun, S., Harati, H., Daoud, R., Zein, H., Estephan, E., Naim, I., & Nasser, Z. (2022). Neuroanatomical regions associated with non-progressive dysarthria post-stroke: A systematic review. BMC Neurology, 22(1), 353. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-022-02877-x
  • Nagpal, K., Rauwel, E., Estephan, E., Soares, M. R., & Rauwel, P. (2022). Significance of hydroxyl groups on the optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles combined with CNT and PEDOT: PSS. Nanomaterials, 12(19), 3546. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12193546
  • Alam, R., Mrad, Y., Hammoud, H., Saker, Z., Fares, Y., Estephan, E., Bahmad, H., Harati, H., & Nabha, S. (2022). New insights into the role of fibroblast growth factors in Alzheimer’s disease. Molecular Biology Reports, 49(2), 1413–1427.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-021-06890-0

  • Hendrix, Y., Rauwel, E., Nagpal, K., Haddad, R., Estephan, E., Boissière, C., & Rauwel, P. (2023). Revealing the dependency of dye adsorption and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles on their morphology and defect states. Nanomaterials, 13(13), 1998. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13131998
  • Paredes, P., Rauwel, E., Wragg, D. S., Rapenne, L., Estephan, E., Volobujeva, O., & Rauwel, P. (2023). Sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue with facile one-step synthesized Cu–Cu₂O–Cu₃N nanoparticle mixtures. Nanomaterials, 13(8), 1311. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13081311
  • Hajeer, S., Nasr, F., Nabha, S., Saab, M. B., Harati, H., Desoutter, A., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2023). Association between vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis-MRI significance: A scoping review. Heliyon, 9, e15754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15754
  • Panayotov, I., Végh, A. G., Martin, M., Vladimirov, B., Larroque, C., Gergely, C., Cuisinier, F. J. G., & Estephan, E. (2023). Improving dental epithelial junction on dental implants with bioengineered peptides. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1165853. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1165853
  • Kheir Eddine, H., Saleh, S., Hajjar, J., Harati, H., Nasser, Z., Desoutter, A., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2023). Evaluation of the accuracy of new modalities in the assessment and classification of lumbar lordosis: A comparison to Cobb’s angle measurement. Heliyon, 9, e18952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18952
  • Sedky Adly, M., Sedky Adly, A., Younes, R., El Helou, M., Panayotov, I., Cuisinier, F., Carayon, D., & Estephan, E. (2023). Prevention and repair of orthodontically induced root resorption using ultrasound: a scoping review. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 20(8), 633–642. https://doi.org/10.1080/17434440.2023.2223965
  • Sedky Adly, M., Sedky Adly, A., Sedky Adly, A., Carayon, D., Estephan, E., & Cuisinier, F. (2024). Innovative device for in-vivo quantitative assessment of different wire materials using 3D models. Journal of Science: Advanced Materials and Devices, 9, 100667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsamd.2023.100667
  • Sedky Adly, M., Younes, R., Martin, M., Cloitre, T., Sedky Adly, A., Panayotov, I., Bousquet, P., Gergely, C., Cuisinier, F. J. G., Carayon, D., & Estephan, E. (2024). New insights in the 3-D rheological properties and collagen fibers orientation in murine periodontal ligaments. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 189, 105715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2024.105715
  • Audi, D., Hajeer, S., Saab, M. B., Saab, L., Harati, H., Desoutter, A., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2024). Effects of cannabis use on neurocognition: A scoping review of MRI studies. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2024.2372377
  • Abou Chaaya, J., Abou Chaaya, Je., Jaafar, B., Saab, L., Abou Chaaya, Ja., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2024). Morphological changes of the pituitary gland in patients with irritable bowel syndrome using magnetic resonance imaging. J. Imaging, 10(9), 226. https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging10090226
  • El Helou, M., Chakar, S., Nicolas, E., Estephan, E., Cuisinier, F., & Barthelemi, S. (2024). Can orthodontic adhesive systems inhibit the formation and development of white spot lesions during fixed orthodontic treatment? A systematic review. Journal of Adhesive Dentistry, 26, 241–252. https://doi.org/10.3290/j.jad.b5781299
  • Sedky Adly, M. S., Cuisinier, F., Sedky Adly, A., Estephan, E., Sedky Adly, A. S., & Bousquet, P. (2024). Exploratory study on a novel minimally invasive tunnel-like flap approach for orthodontic movement of dental implants. Clinical Oral Investigations, 28(11), 595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-024-05992-w
  • Panchal, P., Rauwel, P., Sharma, S., Nehra, S. P., Estephan, E., Praakle, K., & Rauwel, E. (2025). Ocimum tenuiflorum leaf-mediated graphitic carbon nitride and ZnO/GCN nanohybrid: A sustainable approach for environmental applications. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 32, 9945–9965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-025-36299-2
  • Hamzeh, J., Harati, H., Ayoubi, F., Saab, M. B., Saab, L., Al Ahmar, E., & Estephan, E. (2025). Visualization of the glymphatic system through brain magnetic resonance in human subjects with neurodegenerative disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(12), 4387. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14124387
  • A. Hawi, R. Hmede, M-b. Saab, L. Saab, H. Harati, E. Al Ahmar, E. Estephan ‘Delayed Onset Bilateral Papilledema Secondary to Trauma: A Case Report’. Heliyon, 11, e43698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43698
  • M. El Helou, E. Canamas, E. Nicolas, A. Gravier, E. Estephan, F. Cuisinier, S. Barthelemi ‘Comparative in vitro study of bond strength of two-step orthodontic bonding systems.’ J Orofac Orthop, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00056-025-00612-y