The CNRS / Paris12 mixed research unit is located in the hospital-integrated Surgical Research Center of Henri Mondor University Hospital, and is composed of surgeons of the Vascular Surgery Department, and investigators from a school of biomedical engineers (ISBS). Expertise includes: clinical leadership in France in endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms, with the largest cohort of treated patients; modelisation for endovascular treatment in expanding AAA, providing the demonstrations of the capability of endovascular cell and gene therapy to stabilise already formed AAA; pathophysiology of AAA, focused on aortic wall reconstruction by mesenchymal cells; progenitor cells, mainly but not exclusively of mesenchymal progenitors, in rodents and humans; Akt signal transduction pathway; biomechanical properties of tissues. Facilities description Human clinical facilities, including imaging with PET-scan, Clinical Investigation Center for data and sample collection and banking (Biological Resources Center), Cell Therapy Center. Cohort of 450 patients with AAA treated by endoprosthesis. Experimental animal surgery facilities with intravascular imaging, microsurgery, large and small animal housing; different microscopic analytic tools, flow cytometry in Cell Therapy Center, human cell culture laboratory.

Tasks in FAD

Collection of cell, plasma samples in patients with endoprothesis for AAA and correlation to endoleaks Cellular mechanisms of AAA repair and stability: progenitors, fibroblasts. PET-scan in patients after endoprosthesis and in endoleak, circulating progenitors. Cell therapy in experimental AAAs with progenitors of various differentiation commitments and preclinical SDF-1 gene therapy.

Members of the FAD staff

 Allaire E (MD, PhD, EBSC), vascular surgeon, biotherapies, progenitors, animal models,WB 1,3,4,5
 Taurel M (Pharmacist, PhD), animal model, progenitors, signal transduction, cell biology, WB 3,5
 Dai J (MD, PhD), vascular surgeon, biotherapies, animal models WB 3,5
 Michineau S (PhD), animal models, signal transduction, cell biology WB 3,5
 Becquemin JP (MD), vascular surgeon, endovascular treatment of AAA WB 1,4
 Kobeiter H (MD, PhD), radiologist, animal models WB 1,4
 Meignan M (MD), radiologist, PET-scan WB 1,4
 Zidi M (PhD), engineer, biomechanical analysis WB 3
 Rouard H (MD, PhD), cell biology, progenitor cells, flow cytometry WB 1,3,4,5

Main publication/patent linked to FAD tasks

- Deux J-F, Dai J, Rivière C, Gazeau F, Letourneur D, Boudghene F, Allaire E. Endovascular cell therapy follow-up by MRI with magnetically labelled smooth muscle cells in aortic aneurysms in rats. Radiology 2008 ; 246(1):185-92.
 Kirsch EW, Radu NC, Gervais M, Allaire E, Loisance DY. Heterogeneity in the remodeling of aneurysms of the ascending aorta with tricuspid aortic valves. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2006;132(5):1010-6.
 J Dai, F Losy, AM Guinault, Carine Pages, I Anegon, P Desranges, JP Becquemin, Eric Allaire. Overexpression of Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 stabilizes already-formed aortic aneurysms.A first approach to induction of functional healing by endovascular gene therapy. Circulation 2005;112:1008-1015.
 E. Allaire, B. Muscatelli-Groux, C. Mandet, A-M Guinault, P. Bruneval, D. Méllière, J-P Becquemin. Vascular smooth muscle cell endovascular therapy stabilizes already developed aneurysms in a model of aortic injury elicited by inflammation and proteolysis. Annals of Surgery 2004 ; 239, 417-427
 Losy F, Dai J, Pages C, Ginat M, Muscatelli-Groux B, Guinault A-M, Rousselle E, Smedile G, Loisance D, Becquemin JP, Allaire E. Paracrine secretion of transforming growth factor-b1 in aneurysm healing and stabilization with endovascular smooth muscle cell therapy. J Vasc Surg 2003. 37 :1301-1309.