Alain Tedgui PhD Biomedical
Course and current status
Alain Tedgui obtained his PhD thesis in Fluid Mechanics. After his post-doctoral fellowship at the Imperial College, London, he joined the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in 1983. He has been heading an INSERM laboratory at Paris Hospital Lariboisière from 2000 to 2004. His is currently the Director of the PARCC (Paris-Cardiovascular research Center) at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. He coordinated the European Network of Excellence EVGN (European Vascular Genomics Network) from 2004 to 2008. Since July 2007, he has been acting as the European Editor of Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
Scientific summary
Major contributions of Alain Tedgui in physiology, biology and vascular medicine:
1. Highlighting of the role of NO and MMPs in the remodelling of vessels in response to a rise in blood flow.
2. Demonstration of the presence of procoagulant apoptotic microparticles in the lipid core of the plaques and in the circulating blood of coronary patients, and elucidation of the role of endothelial cell apoptosis in plaque erosion.
3. Identification of IL-18 as a pro-atherogenic cytokine.
4. Demonstration of the anti-atherogenic activities of the anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and TGFbeta, and use of regulatory T cells producing large quantities of IL-10 as an innovative strategy of cell therapy to limit atherosclerosis
5. Identification of naturally arising regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells as potent inhibitors of atherosclerosis, a new target for the modulation of atherosclerosis and the development of vaccination against atherosclerosis.
