From his very first lessons in secondary five, Maxim Maheux has always been fond of chemistry. Thus, he enrolled at Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon in one of the three laboratory techniques program provided, namely the technique in analytical chemistry. After six years as a research laboratory technician at TransBIOTech, Maxim completed a two-year bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the Laval University specializing in organic chemistry, and took the reins of the analytical chemistry laboratory at TransBIOTech. He subsequently obtained a master’s degree in chemistry with a focus on metabolomics in 2012. Metabolomics is a very recent science that uses analytical chemistry to study primary metabolites (sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.) and secondary metabolites, in the case, for plants (polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc.), which have biological roles on cells, organs, and organisms. This has many applications in the field of health.

More specifically, Maxim has developed numerous methods for characterizing and quantifying natural health and pharmaceutical products, two of TransBIOTech’s main R&D niches. He has acquired expertise in the analysis of complex mixtures. With the advent of pharmacokinetic studies at TransBIOTech, he also acquired skills and knowledge in analytical biochemistry and pharmaceutical sciences. His expertise is mainly focused on the optimization of all operational parameters of high-performance liquid chromatography instruments coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. These are cutting-edge technologies for studying the active molecules present in plants. These techniques make it possible both to identify molecules and to accumulate crucial information concerning their structure. This makes it possible to ensure greater product quality and/or efficacy, or even to develop new applications in human health.

Maxim is currently responsible for the Chemistry and Analytical Biochemistry sector at TransBIOTech. He continues to work in the field of the characterization of natural health products and the quantification of their assets. In addition, he is a proud representative of the different therapeutic uses of plants or extracts used in traditional medicines.