Within the Medical Pharmacology and Clinical Pain team, I am currently working on a better understanding of the pathophysiology of cancer pain (chemo-induced neuropathies by anticancer drugs and, more recently, bone pain from cancer metastases). The recent data that we have obtained suggest in particular that (i) epigenetic mechanisms participate in the development of neuropathies induced by oxaliplatin (Pereira et al., 2021; Lamoine et al., 2021), (ii) riluzole, a non-active activator selective for the TREK-1 channel, could have a preventive effect on the development of neuropathies induced by oxaliplatin (reference treatment for colorectal cancer) (Poupon et al., 2018) as well as in the development of metastatic bone pain (Delanne-Cuménal et al., 2024); a clinical study funded by a PHRC-K obtained in 2016 is notably underway to evaluate this hypothesis in cancer patients treated with oxaliplatin (Kerckhove et al., 2019); (iii) modulation of the function of HCN channels by disrupting their interaction with TRIP8b (neuronal partner protein, absent from cardiac tissue) could have an analgesic effect in these same pain models (collaborations with E.Bourinet, IGF, and with D .Chetkovich, Nashville, TN, USA). A collaboration with the ICCF COM team (C. Taillefumier) allowed us to show that peptoids (synthetic oligomers mimicking peptides) targeting this interaction have a functional effect in vitro and an analgesic effect in vivo in the same animal model. On the technical side, we recently initiated work using human iPS cells with the aim of developing a cellular model for the co-culture of sensory neurons and Schwann cells.

Responsible for 3 teaching modules in BUT Biological Engineering (Clermont-Ferrand): R3.BMB.10; R4.BMB.7; SAE 3.BMB.02. Since 2004, I have directed or co-directed 9 M2 and 10 doctoral students, including 2 in progress:

• Javier Megias-Vericat, “study of intestinal inflammation” 2004-2005
• Stéphane Lolignier, “Role of the sodium channel Nav1.9 in inflammatory pain, in the perception of cold and in hypersensitivity to cold induced by oxaliplatin” 2007-2011
• Maïly Devilliers, “Le canal TREK-1 potassium: a molecular target of interest for the development of effective and well-tolerated analgesics” 2009-2013
• Vanessa Pereira, “Involvement of TREK and TRAAK potassium channels in the pathophysiology of pain” 2010-2013
• Laura Poupon, “Study of functional couplings between class III metabotropic glutamate receptors and TREK and TRAAK potassium channels and their consequences in the pharmacology of pain” 2012-2015
• Sylvain Lamoine, “Study of the effects of HDAC inhibitors on neuropathy and the antiproliferative effect induced by oxaliplatin” 2014-2017
• Mélissa Cuménal, “Research into the involvement of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors in bone pain » 2017-2020
• Margaux Morez, « Modulation of HCN channel activity: Towards an innovative and well-tolerated therapeutic strategy against neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin » 2019-2022
• Romane Boyer, “Study of the role of TREK1 channels in the pathophysiology of pain and development of TREK1 activators from an analgesic perspective” 2021-2023
• Morgan Lété, “Characterization and use of human sensory neurons derived from induced pluripotent cells to model peripheral neuropathies linked to chemotherapy” 2023-2026

• Head of team 1 of UMR1107
• Member of the council of UMR 1107
• Member of the Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation Auvergne
• Member of the SBEA and of the Management Council of the Animal Stabilization Unit of the Faculty of Medicine
• Member of the steering committee of the “organoid” platform of the UCA

ORCID: 0000 – 0003 – 1592 – 2369
Web of Science ResearcherID: K-2204-2015