CALiPSO Centre
The CALiPSO Centre brings together clinicians from Nantes University Hospital in Loire-Atlantique. As part of the rare disease networks OSCAR (phosphocalcic disorders) and ORKiD (nephrogenetics), the centre unites experts across various fields including biochemistry, endocrine surgery, endocrinology, nephrology, paediatrics, rheumatology, and urology. Allied health professional in dietetics, therapeutic education, adapted physical activity, and psychology also contribute to comprehensive patient care.
This website primarily supports:
Patients affected by rare and common phosphocalcic, nephrological, endocrinological, and rheumatological diseases and their families by providing relevant information.
Healthcare professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of these conditions to better care for their patients.
Hypoparathyroidism and kidney stones have the most extensive resources available, but many materials apply to other phosphocalcic disorders, especially dietary guidelines. It is impossible to cover all pathologies fully.
Certain cases – such as childhood or pregnancy – require specialised management. Please consult your healthcare team for tailored advice.
Our team of specialists
CALiPSO Coordination
Pr Lucile Figueres – Clémence Maillard
Designated as a reference centre in January 2024, the CALiPSO team strives to improve care for patients with rare phosphocalcic diseases in Western France and beyond. Pr Figueres, a nephrologist (kidney doctor), leads the centre, while Clémence Maillard supports its missions and fundamental research projects.
Endocrinologist
Dr Maëlle Le Bras
Dr Le Bras specialises in hormonal disorders, focusing on calcium-related diseases such as hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism, as well as genetic endocrine disorders like Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1).
Nephrologist / Lead of CaP Rare Disease Reference Centre, OSCAR Network
Pr Lucile Figueres
Pr Figueres manages rare kidney diseases affecting ionic balance, including calcium, phosphate, sodium, potassium, and magnesium disorders. Her expertise encompasses hypoparathyroidism and renal tubulopathies, including those causing kidney stones.
Rheumatologist
Dr Pascale Guillot
Specialising in bone and joint diseases, Dr Guillot focuses on osteoporosis and bone mineralisation disorders, including hyperparathyroidism. She oversees screening, bone density monitoring, and treatment.
Endocrine surgeons
Pr Eric Mirallié – Dr Samuel Frey – Dr Cécile Caillard
This team specialises in thyroid and parathyroid surgery, treating large goitres, suspicious thyroid nodules, and hyperparathyroidism. They develop protocols to reduce the risk of prosperative hypoparathyroidism and work to improve management for affected patients.
Urologist
Dr Ismaël Chelghaf
A urological surgeon and andrologist, Dr Chelghaf focuses on managing kidney stone disease.
Biochemists
Dr Kalyane Bach-Ngohou – Dr Alizée Violin – Dr Pierre-Olivier Bertho
They analyse patients’ blood and urine samples to diagnose phosphocalcic disorders and assess metabolic disturbances leading to kideny stones and rare phosphocalcic diseases.
Dietitians
Caroline Guillotin – Mélissa Couturier – Lucie Rajaobelina
These specialists tailor dietary advice to individual medical needs, particularly for phosphocalcic and renal diseases, to optimise health and prevent complications.
Therapeutic Education
Manon Chiffoleau
This personalised support helps patients understand their illness and manage their care. Nantes University Hospital offers an online therapeutic education programme for hypoparathyroidism that facilitates interactive learning with healthcare teams and patient experts. The aim is to improve quality of life and promote self-management.
Our activities
The CALiPSO Centre is devoted to education, research, therapeutic education for patients, and professional training. The centre also promotes medical accessibility through scientific outreach and supports patients and families. This website offers resources for patients and caregivers and encourages access to care.
| E-ETP (Online Therapeutic Patient Education)
Therapeutic patient education provides personalised support to help patients understand their condition, manage treatments, and adopt healthy behaviours. The online TPE programme for hypoparathyroidism at Nantes University Hospital involves active videoconference exchanges between patients, healthcare professionals, and patient experts from Hypoparathyroidism France. This programme develops self-management skills and enhance quality of life.
The programme includes education on the condition, symptom management, treatment adjustments, and complication prevention, empowering patients to take control of their health. The program could not be offered to patients outside of France.
| Multidisciplinary consultation meeting (MCM)
This meeting gathers specialised healthcare professionals to discuss a patient’s case and define the optimal care plan. It integrates perspectives from various disciplines (physicians, allied health professionals) to ensure comprehensive and personalised management tailored to the condition and patient needs. The aim is to provide coordinated, multidisciplinary care to improve patient outcomes. Nantes University Hospital hosts “Calcium” and “Kidney Stones » meetings. For specific cases abroad, please contact OSCAR Network.
| “Tu m’prêtes ton spé?” Project
“Tu m’prêtes ton spé?”: “Can I borrow your specialist?”
Some regions face shortages of expertise for rare diseases. This project allows an expert physician to visit a centre and share knowledge through joint consultations involving the referring doctor, patient, and expert. The expert also conducts videoconferences or onsite seminars to share best practices with local healthcare providers. The project helps connect patients with support groups to reduce isolation. The hosting centre incurs no costs due to sponsorship from the Groupama Foundation for Health and Groupama Loire Bretagne.
| Patients days
These events offer conferences and workshops dedicated to patients. Each year, the CaP Rare Disease Reference Centre – within the OSCAR network – hosts the Hypoparathyroidism Day at Nantes University Hospital. It is open to French-speaking patients. In January 2025, the SORARE Rare Renal Disease Reference Centre (ORKiD) and the CaP Centre (OSCAR) welcomed over 100 participants focusing on tubulopathies.
Upcoming events, programmes, and replays are available on our Events page.
| Scientific Days
Annual scientific days promote continuous education and best practice exchange on diseases managed by our centre. Healthcare professionals and researchers attend expert-led lectures on specific conditions, treatments, and care strategies. These meetings strengthen professional networks and multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance patient care.
Trusted Partners
The centre collaborates with professionals at Nantes University Hospital, Nantes University, and research teams. It serves as a reference centre in the OSCAR and ORKID rare disease networks. Our experts actively participate in national and European scientific societies.
