Clinicians

Prof. Laurent SCHAEFFER is Director of the INMG-PGNM and heads the “Neuron-Muscle Interaction” research team. He is in charge of the Cellular Biotechnology Centre (CBC) (NF S96-900 certification) of the Hospices Civils de Lyon, located in the Lyon East Hospital Group. This centre hosts the CBC BIOTEC biobank. (https://lyonbiopole.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Laurent-Schaeffer-CRB-CBC-Biotec-Hospices-de-Lyon.pdf). With more than 50,000 patient cell lines cryopreserved since 1972, this biobank is fed by 400 muscle biopsies taken annually by the HCL anatomopathology department. More than 500 pathologies are listed, making it an invaluable heritage for researchers for diagnostic purposes, as an alternative to animal experimentation, for research into therapeutic molecules, for studies of the cytotoxicity of medicinal molecules or the radiosensitivity of diseased cells or for gene therapy trials.

In his team, Dr Thomas SIMONET works at CBC BIOTEC. Dr Rita MENASSA and Dr Laurence MICHEL are responsible for diagnostic tests in the renal endocrine, muscular and cystic fibrosis pathology department.

Dr Françoise BOUHOUR, attached to Laurent Schaeffer’s team at the INMG-PGNM, is neurologist and head of the electroneuromyography and neuromuscular pathologies department (https://www.chu-lyon.fr/fr/service-delectroneuromyographie-et-de-pathologies-neuromusculaires) at the Pierre Wertheimer Hospital of the Groupement Hospitalier Lyon Est. Dr Juliette SVAHN, also attached to Laurent Schaeffer’s team, works in Dr BOUHOUR’s department. This service has 3 main activities:

-an exploratory activity, mainly neuromuscular diseases and truncal or radicular pathologies;

-a diagnostic, referral and management activity;

-an activity of treatment by botulinum toxin.

Professor Philippe CHEVALIER, PU-PH, is head of the cardiac rhythmology department (https://www.chu-lyon.fr/fr/service-de-rythmologie-cardiaque) at the Louis Pradel Hospital of the Groupement Hospitalier Lyon Est. The hospital team focuses on the management of cardiac rhythm disorders from prevention and diagnosis to treatment. In his department, Dr Gilles MILLAT, MCU-PH, responsible for diagnostic tests and investigator of research projects, and Alexandre JANIN, MCU-PH, both work in Vincent GACHE’s team. His department is part of a National Reference Centre for Hereditary or Rare Cardiac Rhythm Disorders: the national Cardiogen network. Philippe Chevalier is a member of the European reference network ERN GUARD-Heart and he is also the vice-president of the Commission for Training and University Life (CFVU) of the UCB Lyon I.

Prof. CHEVALIER is attached to Vincent Gache’s team at the INMG-PGNM to promote research in cardiology.

Dr Philippe LATOUR, attached to Laurent Schaeffer’s team at the INMG-PGNM, is director of the Pathologies Neurologiques Héréditaires laboratory (UF34427), at the Centre de Biologie et Pathologie Est (Biology and Pathology Centre East) in the Service de Biochimie Biologie Moléculaire Grand Est (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Service East) at the Groupement Hospitalier Lyon Est.

Dr. Lola LESSARD, MD-PhD, is a senior clinician in the Movement Disorders and Neuromuscular Diseases Department at the Pierre Wertheimer Neurological Hospital of the Lyon University Hospital, and a researcher in Rémi MOUNIER’s team at the INMG-PGNM.

As a clinician specializing in neuromuscular diseases, she treats patients with neuropathies, myopathies, and neuromuscular junction diseases, whether genetic or acquired. She is actively involved in diagnostic assessments, therapeutic management, and clinical research, particularly through natural history studies and therapeutic trials.

Her areas of expertise include type 1 myotonic dystrophy, Pompe disease, and mitochondrial cytopathies. Dr. LESSARD also has training in histopathology (muscle biopsies) and genetics.

As part of Rémi MOUNIER’s research team on “metabolic cross-talk in striated muscles in health and disease,” her work focuses on metabolic dysfunctions in muscle stem cells in human pathology, with a particular interest in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Dr. Lessard also works on the morphological analysis of neuromuscular junctions in human pathology.

Prof. Damien SANLAVILLE, PU-PH, attached to Julien Courchet’s team at the INMG-PGNM, is Head of the Genetics Department at the Woman-Mother-Child Hospital (HFME) (https://www.chu-lyon.fr/fr/service-de-genetique ) at the Lyon East Hospital Group. Its department hosts two national reference centres, labelled within the framework of the Rare Diseases Plan: Reference Centre for Developmental Anomalies and Malformative Syndromes South-East and Reference Centre for Rendu-Osler Disease. Pr Gaëtan LESCA, MCU-PH and Dr Caroline SCHLUTH-BOLARD, MCU-PH, work in the Genetics Department of the HFME hospital, and are attached to Julien Courchet’s team within the INMG-PGNM.

Prof. Damien SANLAVILLE is in charge of the AURAGEN very high throughput genome sequencing platform: this programme mainly concerns cancer patients for whom new therapeutic strategies and in particular targeted therapies can be proposed according to the variations identified (https://www.chu-lyon.fr/fr/auragen-plateforme-de-sequencage-du-genome-tres-haut-debit ). This very high throughput sequencing makes it possible to observe genetic variations that may be at the origin of cancers or other rare diseases.

Dr Nathalie STREICHENBERGER, MCU-PH HCL UCBLI, attached to Laurent Schaeffer’s team at INMG-PGNM, is a specialist in neuropathology and myology (https://www.sfmyologie.org/team/emmanuelle-streichenberger/ ), clinician at the Hospices Civils de Lyon in the pathology and neuropathology department of the Groupement Hospitalier Est. She is a lecturer at the Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, teaching anatomy-pathology, neuropathology on dementia syndromes and myology on muscle biopsy. She is responsible for the management of muscle biopsies (surgical procedure) at the HCL and interpretation of muscle biopsies performed in the Lyon region, Besançon University Hospital, Chambery and Valence University Hospital.

Dr Carole VUILLEROT, attached to Laurent Schaeffer’s team at the INMG-PGNM, is head of the ESCALE department: paediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation department(https://www.chu-lyon.fr/fr/service-medecine-physique-readaptation-pediatriques-HFME ) at the Woman-Mother-Child Hospital (HFME) of the Lyon East Hospital Group. Welcoming children from 0 to 15 years old, suffering from cerebral palsy, neuromuscular diseases, malformation of a limb, spina bifida, learning disorders or other motor disabilities, the team’s priority actions are to ensure a global evaluation and follow-up of the children, to inform the parents about the therapeutics and to advise them on the possible orientations ESCALE is recognised as a Reference Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases and a Reference Centre for Learning Disorders.

Dr Carole VUILLEROT is a member of the National Reference Centre for Childhood Stroke.