Alain Chapel

Alain Chapel, PhD, scientific investigator at IRSN, Laboratory of Radiopathology and Experimental Therapies. For 30 years, he has been developing gene and cell therapy using non-human primates and immune-tolerant mice and rats to protect against the side effects of radiation. He has developed representative experimental models of SAI to investigate the effect of radiation on both radiosensitive hematopoietic cells and their bone marrow microenvironment. He collaborates with clinicians to develop new strategies for treatment of patients after radiation accidents or radiotherapy overexposures. In compassional trials, he has participated in the first establishment of proof of concept of the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of hematopoietic deficit, radiodermatitis and over dosages of radiotherapy. In collaboration with Saint-Antoine Hospital (Paris, France), he has contributed to the first reported correction of deficient hematopoiesis in patients (graft failure and aplastic anemia) thanks to intravenous injection of MSCs restoring the bone marrow microenvironment, mandatory to sustain hematopoiesis after total body irradiation. Currently his work focuses on the development of radio-induced bone marrow aplasia using human hematopoietic stem cells derived from human IPS. He is a member of various learned national and international societies: European Bone Marrow Transplantation Group (EBMT), American Society for Hematology, International Society of Stem Cell Research, Société Francaise de Greffe moelle et de thérapie cellulaire. He is an associate editor of five international journals: World Journal of Stem Cells, World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, World Journal of Radiology, The Open Gene Therapy Journal and Journal of Clinical Rehabilitative Tissue Engineering Research. He has participated in the scientific organization of international conferences