CV Science

Philippe Gual Ph.D., Team Leader, Research Director (DR2 INSERM)

Course and current status

University Degrees:

-2007: Authorization to supervise research (HDR), University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice France

-1997: Ph.D. in Endocrinology, University of Marseille, France.

Scientific Career

-Since 2018: Team Leader, Team 8 “Chronic liver diseases associated with obesity and alcohol”, INSERM         U1065, C3M, Nice

-2008-2017: Co-Team Leader with Pr Albert Tran, Team 8 “Hepatic complications of obesity”, INSERM U1065, C3M, Nice

-2011: Research director (DR2 INSERM)

-2007-2011: Contract of interface between INSERM and the Hospital.

-2003-2007: Researcher (CR1 INSERM), INSERM U568, Nice (Y. Le Marchand-Brustel),

-2000-2003: Post-doctoral Training course, INSERM U568, Nice, (Y. Le Marchand-Brustel)

-1997-2000: Post-doctoral training course, Institute of Research against Cancer and Treatment, Turin, Italy, (Pr.     PM Comoglio)

Teaching and Training

Training of 15 Master students, 6 PhD students, 1 Post doc

Lectures for scientific societies (Obesity, Hepatology)

Courses on "liver complications of obesity" for the Masters of “Nutrition and vascular pathology"” (University of Aix-Marseille) and of “UE Pathophysiology of obesity and cardio-metabolic diseases” and “UE of microbiology research” (University of Nice); DU Dysmetabolic Steatohepatitis (NASH) (University of Angers)

Scientific ACTIVITY AND EXPERTISe

Thesis or HDR defense committee: 30

Member of the Inserm study section CSS3 (2022-26)

Member of the review committee of the International Liver Congress EASL since 2021

Member of evaluation Committee of Research laboratory: HCERES, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 2018

Peer reviewer of grant proposals: CODDIM/CORDDIM, from 29/05/2009 to 23/08/2014 (n=29); AFEF, since 2016                                                           (n=100); ANR, 2018 (n=1), Cancéropole Grand Ouest, 2018 (n=1). 

Peer reviewer of scientific articles: Journal of Hepatology, Hepatology, Diabetes,……..

Editorial Board: Frontiers in Physiology since 2011; Journal of Obesity since 2016

Member of Study group: since 2011: EASD NAFLD Study group; 2006-2011« Groupe d’Étude et de Recherche                                                                                 sur le Syndrome métabolique et la stéato-hépatite » (GERS) (Roche).

Member of organizing meetings: 6 national meetings: "3èmes Journées Scientifiques du Club Francophone de l'AuTophaGie" Grasse 2013; "81èmes Journées Scientifiques de l'AFEF" Lyon, 2017; "Journées Francophones hépato-gastroentérologie et d'oncologie digestive" Paris, 2017 ; "83èmes Journées Scientifiques de l'AFEF" Lyon, 2018; "Journées Francophones hépato-gastroentérologie et d'oncologie digestive" Paris, 2018; " Journées Francophones de Nutrition JFN 2018 " Nice, 2018 ; -85eme Journées Scientifiques de l'AFEF, 2019, Marseille

Chairman of meeting session : Société Francophone du Diabète, Journées Francophones de Nutrition, Association Française d'Étude et de Recherche sur l'Obesité, EFSD/Lilly Symposium, Association Française pour l'Étude du Foie

Board member of the "Association Française pour l'Étude du Foie" (2017-2019)

National and international meetings: 136 selected Abstract

National and international invited lecture: 30

Patent: PCT/EP2019/053807

Publications in peer-review journals: 102 (74 articles, 28 reviews/letters/editorials/book chapter)(43 last or next-to-last author)

Scientific Track Record: According to Google Scholar (November 2021), total number of citations: 8486; - h-index 46; - i10-index 76

Scientific summary

The aims of the Inserm team directed by Philippe Gual and composed of clinicians and basic scientists, is to better understand the hepatic complications associated with obesity (Non alcoholic fatty liver disease: NAFLD) and, more recently, with chronic alcohol consumption (alcoholic liver disease, ALD). These chronic liver diseases range from steatosis to steatohepatitis (Non Alcoholic or Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, NASH and ASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis and finally hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD and ALD are the main causes of cirrhosis and increase the risk of liver-related death and hepatocellular carcinoma. NASH and ALD are also the most common indications for liver transplantation in the United States. Our translational research mainly focus on

1) The identification of new markers/actors of the progression of NAFLD and ALD. We take advantage of our cohorts of obese (n=1006) and alcoholic patients (n=173) and "omics" approaches. For the previous years, our research contributed to the identification of a genetic signature of “NASH”, the design of a non-invasive composite model capable of predicting accurately NASH; the highlighting that consumption of regular coffee is an independent protective factor for liver fibrosis and vitamin D deficiency could have an impact in the severity of liver complications;

2) The study of potential players in the progression of NAFLD including the Osteopontin/CD44, endoplasmic reticulum stress and ILCs pathways. The impact of targeting these pathways is investigated in mice. We have already reported that Osteopontin/CD44 pathway is involved in the progression of liver complications in mice and humans by acting in both liver and adipose tissue inflammation; enrichment of specific dendritic cells in adipose tissue regulates adipose tissue immune responses in mice and humans and the targetting of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (IRE1a) corrected the steatohepatitis in mouse.

3) The study of the interaction between alcohol and obesity in the severity of fatty liver disease in mouse and human.

The results of the present project should bring new insights in the overall understanding of the mechanistic of hepatic complications induced by obesity and chronic alcohol consumption and to propose better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.