Profiting from a tight collaboration with the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), the Institut National de Chirurgie Cardiaque et de Cardiologie Interventionnelle (INCCI), the laboratory of Cardiovascular Research is pursuing its research activities aiming at understanding the mechanisms responsible for the development of heart failure. Keeping in mind the importance of the discovery of new therapeutic and prognostic targets, the activities of the group tackle the fields of translational medicine and systems biology of the disease.
Laboratory of Cardiovascular Research
The laboratory of Cardiovascular Research was created at the end of 2003. At the beginning of 2010, the group accounts 23 members: a director, an associate director, 4 research scientists, 2 post-docs, 3 engineers, 5 PhD students, 4 technicians, 2 research nurses and an administrative assistant. Originally entirely located in the basement of the “Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte” - the former offices of the administrative staff of the CRP-Santé, the laboratory has now working and office spaces on three floors of the maternity.
The laboratory focuses on therapeutic and prognostic aspects of the development of heart failure following myocardial infarction.
It has demonstrated in 2006 that adenosine inhibits the production of matrix metalloproteinase-9 by neutrophils, the first wave of inflammatory cells recruited to the heart after myocardial infarction.
In 2007, the laboratory has shown that, in opposition to their results obtained in neutrophils, adenosine reliably enhances matrix metalloproteinase-9 production by macrophages.
In 2009, the group has characterized some pro-angiogenic effects of adenosine, notably through up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in human macrophages and murine cardiac cells.
In the past few years, the laboratory performed pilot studies aiming at associating genetic variations of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 gene with the occurrence of heart failure post myocardial infarction.
Through the “running mice project”, the laboratory also tests the hypothesis that the interplay between adenosine and MMP-9 is involved in the protection from heart failure provided by physical activity.
Seven projects were running in the laboratory at the end of 2009, which can be separated in two main research axis: the study of the effects of adenosine on left ventricular remodeling and the development of heart failure (therapeutic approach of the disease), and the identification of new biomarkers of clinical outcome after myocardial infarction (prognostic approach).
1. Adenosine and heart failure
Cardioprotective properties of adenosine are known but its role in the development of heart failure after myocardial infarction is poorly characterized. It appears that adenosine modulates all four main biological processes that set the stage for the development of left ventricular remodeling and heart failure: inflammation, turnover of the extracellular matrix, angiogenesis and cell death. We have designed several research projects that each targets one of these processes. We are now studying the effects of adenosine on the production of collagen by cardiac fibroblasts, on the formation of new blood vessels, or on the recruitment of endothelial progenitors. We are also testing the hypothesis that adenosine may be involved in the protection from heart failure provided by physical activity.
2. Biomarker
Identification of patients at risk of developing heart failure after myocardial infarction is a research priority for our laboratory as heart failure is potentially preventable. Started in 2006, the national myocardial infarction registry now accounts over 500 patients. From this cohort, we have designed several projects to identify potential new biomarkers of heart failure. Our view of the systems biology motivated us to combine several types of data such as transcriptomic biosignatures of blood cells using whole-genome microarrays, proteomic analysis of plasma proteins, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and diverse bioinformatic tools like networks of protein-protein interactions, in the final goal to discover new prognostic biomarkers of heart failure.
Head of Laboratory :
Associate Head of Laboratory :
Current Team Members :
Function : Senior Researcher
Phone : +352 26970-875
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : francisco.azuaje@crp-sante.lu
Function : PhD Student
Phone : +352 26970-313
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : melanie.bousquenaud@crp-sante.lu
Function : Researcher
Phone : +352 26970-301
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : isabelle.ernens@crp-sante.lu
Function : Technician
Phone : +352 26970-302
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : celine.jeanty@crp-sante.lu
Function : Technician
Phone : +352 26970-301
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : bernadette.leners@crp-sante.lu
Function : PhD Student
Phone : +352 26970-299
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : benedicte.lenoir@crp-sante.lu
Function : Technician
Phone : +352 26970-313
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : christelle.nicolas@crp-sante.lu
Function : Technician
Phone : +352 26970-311
Fax : +352 26970-390
Email : laurent.quennery@crp-sante.lu
Function : Researcher
Phone : +352 26970-312
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : sophie.rodius@crp-sante.lu
Function : Researcher
Phone : +352 26970-310
Fax : +352 26970-390
Function : Technician
Phone : +352 26970-299
Fax : +352 26970-390
Email : maud.theresine@crp-sante.lu
Function : Research Engineer
Phone : +352 26970-307
Fax : +352 26970-396
Email : melanie.vausort@crp-sante.lu
Function : Research Engineer
Phone : +352 26970-874
Fax : +352 26970-390
Email : lu.zhang@crp-sante.lu
