Fabrice Duprat PhD Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Course and current status

INSERM Researcher, team of Dr Massimo Mantegazza, (IPMC, since july 2014). Study of the consequences of epilepsy on cerebral autoregulation.

INSERM Researcher, team of Dr Eric Honoré, (IPMC, february 2007- july 2014). Study of the role of polycystins and piezo in the mechanoperception of arteries and in the kidney.

INSERM Researcher, team of Pr Michel Lazdunski, (IPMC, may 2000 - january 2007). Study of the role and the pharmacology of potassium channels in neurons.

- Postdoctoral fellow University of Bristol (Great Britain), MRC Center for Synaptic Plasticity, adviser Dr John Isaac (september 1998 - may 2000). Study of the role of AMPA receptor recycling in long term depression.

- PhD student and Postdoctoral fellow, IPMC laboratory of Pr Michel Lazdunski (december 1993 - september 1998).

Deputy Scientific Attache, Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy in London (National Service, september 1992 - december 1993).

- PhD in Life Sciences, "Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire" (9th  january 1998). Adviser: Pr Lazdunski. Study of the role and the pharmacology of cloned potassium channels.

- Postgraduate Degree in Physiology (French "D.E.A.") at the University of Poitiers, France (September 1992). Field : Biomembranes, Electrophysiology and Cellular Pharmacology. Study of the pharmacology of connexins 43 in cardiomyocytes.

- Masters degree in Physiology (French "Maitrise") at the University of Tours, France (September 1991).

Scientific summary

During my PhD I (Michel Lazdunski's lab) studied the pharmacological and biophysical properties of cloned potassium channels using electrophysiological tools. I worked on inward rectifiers, we described the need for heteromultimer formation (GIRKs). I worked mostly on the new background K+ channels (K2Ps) that were cloned in our lab. I described the striking biophysical properties of these background channels, the activation effects of fatty acids on TREK channels, their sensitivity to proton, reactive oxygen species, and found some openers (ex: riluzole).

During my postdoctoral project (John Isaac's lab) I described the NSF-dependent recycling of AMPA subunit, GluR2, and its involvement in long term depression in murine brain slices.

When I got my INSERM (french health and medical research institute) researcher position (Michel Lazdunski's lab), I firstly worked on the role of TREK channels in the nervous system and described their neuroprotective role.

I then worked on mechanoperception in the vascular system (Eric Honore's lab). We demonstrated the role of polycystins in myogenic tone, the role of piezo 1 in arterial remodeling, and the protective role of TREK2 in the kidney.

I am now currently working in Massimo Mantegazza's lab. I am developping a new project to study the defect of cerebral autoregulation and blood brain barrier breakdown in seizure murine models.

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