CV Science

Alain LACAMPAGNE CALCIUM SIGNALLING AND SARCOMERIC FUNCTIONS IN CARDIAC AND SKELETAL MUSCLES”

Course and current status

 - 2003: Accreditation to supervise research, Faculty of Medicine Montpellier France:

- 1995: PhD Faculty of Science, Tours France

- 1992: BSc Faculty of Science, Tours France

- 2010- Research Director CNRS in the Inserm U1046 (Dir J Mercier) Montpellier France

-2004-2010 Associate Scientists for CNRS in the INSERM U637 (Dir. S. Richard) Montpellier France.

-1999-2004: Associate Scientists for CNRS in the INSERM U390 (Dir. G. Vassort) Montpellier France.

-1998-1999: Postdoctoral fellow in INSERM U390 (Dir. G. Vassort) Montpellier France.

-1995-1998: Postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof M. Schneider, Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore USA.

-1992-1995: PhD student, Faculty of Sciences, Tours France

-2004: Holder of a Bronze Medal, Physiology Department of CNRS.

-2008: President of the organizing committee of the “Printenps de la Cardiologie (annual meeting of the French society of Cardiology).

-2010-2013: Holder of a Translational Research Contract with the Montpellier Univeristy Hospital.

-2013-: Holder of a CNRS excellence recognition (Prime d’excellence Scientifique)

-2014: Schaefer research award, University of Columbia (New York USA).

 Scientific expertise

-Member elected of the National Scientific committee of the CNRS (Physiology section, 2004-2008).

-“Groupe de Réflexion et de Recherche sur la Recherche Cardiovascualire“, member of the board of directors (2004-2010).

-Member of the technical committee of the Center for Clinical Investigation, Montpellier University Hospital.

-Member elected of the Scientific Committee of the Medical School, University of Montpellier (2006-2010).

-Member elected of the National Scientific committee of the CNRS (Physiology section, 2012-).

-Scientific field of interest: Excitation-contraction coupling in normal and pathophysiological situations, in cardiac and skeletal muscle.  

-Pathologies: Heart failure, ischemia-reperfusion, Duchene muscular Dystrophy, VIDD, iatrogenicity.

-Models: mice, rats, dogs, pigs and human tissues (in collaboration with Montpellier hospital)

-Technical skills: Calcium signaling, force measurements, sarcomeric function, laser scanning confocal microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, and Cellular electrophysiology.  

Scientific summary

My main scientific interest is focused on excitation-contraction (EC) coupling in cardiac and skeletal muscle both in normal and pathophysiological situation. In this context I have contributed to demonstrate the pathophysiological role of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium channel, ryanodine receptor (RyR). Under pathological stresses, this channel exhibits post-traductional modifications inducing deleterious SR calcium leak. Our current work aimed at determining upstream mechanisms accounting for these post-traductional changes and to identify pharmacological target to prevents RyR defects and restore normal calcium homeostasis and EC coupling .