Marc Denis

Marc G. Denis is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Nantes University Hospital, France. He received a Pharm D degree in Nantes in 1984 and a PhD degree in Medical Sciences from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden, in 1989. During this period, he studied the structure of steroid hormone receptors, mainly the glucocorticoid receptor.

Marc was recruited as research associate by the CNRS (‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique’). He became Assistant Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and his work was devoted to the identification of genes involved in the malignant progression of colorectal cancer. He also developed translational research projects on circulating cancer cells. Immunomagnetic separation and nested RT-PCR were used to detect and characterize colorectal cancer cells and melanoma cells in the blood of patients.

In 2005, Marc moved to Rennes University Hospital where he was promoted to Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and he focused his work on molecular characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

He is now head of the Department of Biochemistry, Nantes University Hospital, and develops his research projects in INSERM research unit U913 ‘Understanding the control of digestive functions by the enteric nervous system’. His ongoing studies evaluate prostaglandins production by enteric glial cells, and their impact on epithelial cells under normal conditions, in inflammatory bowel diseases and during cancer progression.

Also in charge of the local platform for tumor molecular biology, funded by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), Marc is particularly involved in molecular testing of lung tumors and melanoma, with current efforts focused on tumor characterization, evaluation of kits for molecular testing and detection of molecular alterations in circulating DNA.

A member of the American Association for Cancer Research, of the European Society for Medical Oncology, and of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Marc has authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed international journals.