Alain Lacampagne: (ion) channels at heart

His career has been rewarded with a silver medal from the CNRS, a great accolade for a man who admits to having suffered - not so long ago - from impostor syndrome. " My background didn't predestine me for this," explains Alain Lacampagne. The "it" applies to the CNRS research director and head of the Laboratory of Physiology and Experimental Medicine of the Heart and Muscles (PhyMedExp). " At 18, I could have turned out badly," says the medallist with a half-smile.

Physiologist Alain Lacampagne has contributed to our understanding of the role of ion channels - proteins present in our cell membranes and involved in the regulation of calcium concentration (calcium homeostasis) - in various pathologies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and heart failure. A public health issue, since heart failure affects more than 10% of people over 70.

The novelty of his work also lies in having demonstrated the consequences of ion channel dysfunction for the whole organism. " Heart failure is linked to dysfunctional calcium homeostasis in the heart, which prevents proper cell contraction. But the problem is not limited to this organ. Effects can also be observed on other muscle cells, as well as in the brain, leading to cognitive disorders ", explains the researcher. It is this holistic approach that has been rewarded with the CNRS Silver Medal, " a difficult approach that really belongs to the work of a physiologist, as it is based on the understanding of integrated living phenomena. "

Multi-medalist

The researcher has also worked on the design and evaluation of patented therapeutic strategies targeting these ion channels. His partners - French and American - find drug candidates, and his team provides methodological expertise to test the molecules. "Alain Lacampagne adds: " By extending life expectancy, current treatments targeting the heart show that patients develop other disorders linked to effects on other organs. The therapeutic benefit of a global treatment is to prevent the disease from spreading.

After obtaining a PhD in physiology in 1995, he followed this up with a post-doc in Baltimore, during which he developed sophisticated engineering to analyze the mechanisms of calcium homeostasis. This was followed by a second post-doc atInserm in Montpellier, which led to a comparison between the physiology of the heart and that of motor muscles. " I already considered that a comparative approach was a rich source of information for better understanding a system ", stresses the scientist. It was here that he was recruited to the CNRS in 1999, after four applications: "Today, I like to recall how difficult it was to get the job," says the man for whom recognition was not long in coming. In 2004, he was awarded the CNRS bronze medal. Then, ten years later, he received the Schaefer Research Award from Columbia University, where he was seconded for a year.

"Taking a risk again

One sensitive aspect of his work involves experimentation. " It can't be limited to the cellular level, if we want to understand the mechanisms at the organism level and the overall effects of a treatment ", explains the man who may resort to animal testing. Aware of the ethical issues involved, he leaves it up to the company to decide where its priorities lie. The creation of organoids - complex cellular systems that reproduce miniature organs in culture dishes - also enables him to free himself in part from animal testing.

In addition to his achievements as a researcher, Alain Lacampagne has contributed to the development of the PhyMedExp laboratory, which he has been running for almost three years. From a handful of researchers when he arrived as a post-doc in 1998, the lab now has 120 permanent staff, plus students. " Several members of my team, who have become research directors, have chosen to stay on, which for me is a guarantee of the quality of our professional relations ", says the director with satisfaction.

After a career devoted to calcium homeostasis, from the identification of mechanisms and pathophysiological processes to therapeutic leads, the next step is obvious: supporting the development of treatments. "Today, I can afford to take a risk again," explains the man who plans to build bridges between his research and medical entrepreneurship. " Several patents have been filed, but it's difficult to find pharmaceutical partners willing to commit to new treatments ", explains Alain Lacampagne. He believes in a new treatment that he helped develop with his colleagues, against the deleterious effects of mechanical ventilation, which leads to respiratory muscle cell dysfunction in intensive care patients.