Laurent Brunaud

Fellowship 2015

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Laurent Brunaud is professor of Surgery at the department of Digestive, Hepatobiliary and Endocrine Surgery at the CHU Nancy (Hopital de Brabois) of the University of Lorraine in France. After a residency in general surgery, he decided to focus his interest and clinical activity on endocrine and metabolic surgery. After a fellowship in endocrine surgical oncology in San Francisco (UCSF- Mount Zion / Pr Quan Duh and Pr Orlo Clark) in 2001- 2002, he became  professor in General Surgery in 2004. He participated in about 110 articles and wrote several book chapters in French and English. Among  his other activities, he is currently Head of endocrine and metabolic surgery unit in University Hospital of Nancy and was awarded an international guest scholarship from American College of Surgeons in 2010. Doctor Brunaud is Editor of Journal of Visceral Surgery (Elsevier) since 2007.  Robotic surgery, pheochromocytomas, and hyperparathyroidism are among his many current clinical interests.

Molecular mechanisms of hyper-secretion in neuroendocrine tumors

USIAS Fellow : Laurent Brunaud et Stéphane Gasman

Neuroendocrine tumors, a heterogeneous group of tumors arising from hormone-secreting cells, are generally associated with a dysfunction of secretion. While this aspect is well known by the clinicians, the underlying mechanisms have never been explored at the cellular level. The aim of this project is to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for hyper-secretion in neuroendocrine tumor. To achieve this objective, we will combine the highly sensitive amperometry technique with quantitative proteomic analysis on human tumors originating from adrenal medulla chromaffin cells (pheochromocytoma) or from digestive enterochromaffin cells (small intestine, midgut).

Today, neuroendocrine tumors are clearly underserved by targeted therapies either than surgery, which limits the possible interventions and reduces patient survivability. An interesting line of thought, that has never proposed so far, is to consider secretion as a potential target. It is of enormous significance since anarchic secretion of neuroendocrine tumor cause serious illness and complications and appears directly related to the aggressiveness of the tumor. Through this original approach, we are expecting to identify specific steps of the exocytotic process that are deregulated in the tumor. Uncovering why and how secretion in neuroendocrine tumors becomes uncontrolled will help to develop therapy strategies aiming to prevent hyper-secretion of the tumor, hence decreasing the associated-clinical risks as well as the tumor growth itself.  We believe that this collaboration will create a unique synergy from which will emerge a new field of investigation at the interface between medicine and cell biology.