Events

Past seminars 2022

DEC 20 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Ilaria COCCHIARARO, Pr. Perrine CASTETS laboratory

Summary: A better understanding of degradation processes, such as autophagy, may open new avenues for the treatment of several muscle diseases. Ilaria COCCHIARARO from Prof. Perrine CASTETS’s laboratory investigates the role of the protein VMA21 in muscle dysfunction in order to better understand the mechanisms leading to the X-linked myopathy with excessive autophagy.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Alexey KOVAL, Pr. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: Triple negative breast cancer is a disproportionately deadly cancer with few available therapies. In this cancer, Wnt signaling pathway is dysregulated and finding agents targeting the FZD receptors of this pathway may improve therapeutical approaches. Alexey KOVAL in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV’s laboratory has identified the first ever selective FZD inhibitor with anti-cancer properties in vitro and in vivo.

 

DEC 13 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Axelle BOUCHE , Pr. Didier HANNOUCHE laboratory

Summary: -

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Tahir IDRIS, Pr. Marc CHANSON laboratory

Summary: Cystic fibrosis is a severe genetic disease causing severe respiratory disorders and often leading to life-threatening bacterial infections. Researchers from Marc CHANSON’s laboratory recently discovered that the formation of protein complexes on the surface of the airway epithelium promotes respiratory infections. Tahir IDRIS is exploring the contribution of several signaling pathways in this polarization process with the aim of providing new therapeutic options.

 

DEC 6 2022

Room: room B04.2222

Speaker: Pryscila SOUSA TEIXEIRA, Pr. Roberto COPPARI laboratory

Summary: Despite decades of research on diabetes, insulin deficiency remains a great medical and societal challenge. Daily insulin injections are able to regulate glucose blood concentration, but at the cost of severe secondary complications. Pryscila SOUSA TEIXEIRA in collaboration with other researchers from Roberto COPPARI’s laboratory is investigating how insulin deficiency affects protein production and if the protein S100A9 is capable of restoring it, with the aim of finding alternatives to insulin injections.

 

Room:  room B04.2222

Speaker: Mikhail SAVITSKIY, Pr. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: -

 

NOV 29 2022

Room:  auditorium Boymond B02.2226

Speaker: Michael BACHMANN, Pr. Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER laboratory

Summary: Understanding better the activation of TGFβ by integrins might help to fight severe diseases such as cancers and fibrotic diseases. Michael BACHMANN in collaboration with the other researchers from Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER’s laboratory is exploring in vitro the interactions between particulars isoforms of integrin and TGFβ with the aim to develop specific inhibitors of TGFβ.

 

Room:  auditorium Boymond B02.2226

Speaker: Raphael MUNOZ, Pr. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: A better understanding in the mechanisms of bacterial killing by hosts could help in the fight against infectious diseases. Raphael MUNOZ in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory is investigating how a cellular model called Dictyostelium discoideum kills bacteria in order to discover new effectors of bacterial killing.

 

NOV 22 2022

Room: auditorium Renold B01.2426

Speaker: Pr. Andreas BOLAND, Department of molecular biology, University of Geneva, invited by Pr. Patrick MERALDI

Summary: -

 

NOV 15 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Marta BALKOTA, Pr. Pierre MAECHLER laboratory

Summary: The tight regulation of the amount of glucose in the blood by the liver, the pancreas but also the brain is an essential process. The GDH enzyme is involved in this regulation, but its exact roles in the brain remain poorly understood. Marta BALKOTA in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Pierre MAECHLER’s laboratory is investigating the role of GDH in different areas of the brain and different types of cells with aging.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Karina LINDNER, Pr. Anne-Claude GAVIN laboratory

Summary: ApoE is the main apolipoprotein involved in lipid transport in the brain. If the importance of ApoE in the development of Alzheimer's disease is recognized, the exact molecular mechanisms by which ApoE loads lipids remain elusive. Karina LINDNER in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Anne-Claude GAVIN’s laboratory is exploring the role of different isoforms of ApoE in brain lipid metabolism with a particular emphasis on one type of brain cells, the astrocytes.

 

NOV 8 2022

Room: room B04.2222

Speaker: Camille RABESAHALA DE MERITENS, Pr. Nicolas DEMAUREX laboratory

Summary: Neutrophils are a key component of the immune system. Calcium is essential to their functioning, but the implication of the store operated calcium entry (SOCE) pathway and its associated proteins remains unclear. Camille RABESAHALA DE MERITENS in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Nicolas DEMAUREX’s laboratory is investigating the role that STIM proteins involved in SOCE play in calcium neutrophil functioning and calcium oscillations.

 

Room: room B04.2222

Speaker: Juliette SIMONIN, Pr. Marc CHANSON laboratory

Summary: Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease leading to multiple symptoms. Associated respiratory infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of mortality. Juliette SIMONIN in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Marc CHANSON laboratory is investigating how the presence of liquid at the surface of airways promotes airway epithelial integrity.

 

NOV 1 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Matija TRICKOVIC, Pr. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI laboratory

Summary: Gut microbiome symbiotically affects the functioning of our body and might provide novel therapeutic targets for metabolic diseases. Matija TRICKOVIC in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI’s group is investigating the gut microbiome at the subspecies level. Their recent in silico analyses allowed them to detect subspecies potentially involved in type 2 diabetes and obesity.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Amit KUMAR, Pr. Miriam STOEBER laboratory

Summary: Opioid receptors are a common target for pain relief. Drugs targeting these receptors can, however, cause serious side effects and a better understanding of opioid drug action may enable the development of safer therapeutics. Amit KUMAR, in collaboration with other researchers from Miriam STOEBER’s laboratory, has engineered a new nanobody that modulates opioid receptor function and now aims to understand its precise interaction with opioid receptors and its potential to mitigate some of the side effects of opioid drugs.

 

OCT 25 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Ennio SILVESTRI, Pr. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: Cell division events are tightly synchronized to allow faithful segregation of chromosomes into the two daughter cells. The protein Aurora-A plays many different functions during cell division, but the molecular mechanisms by which its deregulation can lead to the development of cancer are not yet fully understood. Ennio SILVESTRI in collaboration with other researchers from Patrick MERALDI’s laboratory has discovered that both Aurora-A localization and timing of its localization are essential to ensure proper cell division.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Yan ZHOU, Pr. Pierre MAECHLER laboratory

Summary: With the climate change crisis, many humans are changing their diet from animal to plant proteins. However, the effects of these changes on metabolism remain not fully understood. Yan ZHOU in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Pierre MAECHLER’s laboratory is exploring the role of dietary protein source on liver metabolism, with a particular focus on a key enzyme in protein metabolism, the glutamate dehydrogenase.

 

OCT 18 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Jayasimman RAJENDRAN, Pr. Perrine CASTETS laboratory

Summary: Deciphering the response of skeletal muscle to denervation is of major importance to understand muscle decline in neurodegenerative diseases or aging. Jayasimman RAJENDRAN, in the group of Prof. Perrine CASTETS, investigates changes in gene expression occurring within the first hours after nerve injury in the different cell types present in muscle. Using single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq), he showed that nuclei of muscle fibers respond differently to nerve injury, depending on their location within the cell, and he identified key genes primarily triggered by denervation. 

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Joseph ODDY, Pr. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: Understanding better the mechanisms of bacterial killing by hosts might help to fight infectious diseases. Joseph ODDY in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Pierre COSSON’s laboratory is investigating how a unicellular model called Dictyostelium discoideum kills bacteria. Researchers were able to discover potential effectors of bacterial killing and confirm the ability to break down proteins of one of them, CPRD.

 

OCT 4 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Cecilia JIMENEZ-SANCHEZ, Pr. Charna DIBNER laboratory

Summary: Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease characterized by the alteration of pancreatic ß-cells involved in insulin secretion and glucose regulation. Cecilia JIMENEZ-SANCHEZ in collaboration with other members of Prof. Charna Dibner’s and Pierre Maechler’s laboratory has identified new lipids associated with the loss of pancreatic ß-cells whose function is largely unknown. Researchers aim now to decipher the exact role they play in glucose regulation.

 

SEPT 27 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Claudie BIAN, Pr. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: Single-pass transmembrane proteins are a very common type of proteins involved in many processes, such as cell adhesion, migration and growth. However, the mechanisms involved in their correct localisation, in particular at the Golgi apparatus, remain not clear. Claudie BIAN in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Pierre COSSON’s laboratory is trying to determine how the orientation of a protein or the composition of its different parts play a role in its localisation.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Monika GJORGJIEVA, Pr. Michelangelo FOTI laboratory

Summary: -

 

SEPT 23 2022, 10:30am

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Prof. Daniel DICKINSON, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas, Austin invited by Prof. Monica GOTTA,

Summary: -

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Dr. Josana RODRIGUEZ, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, invited by Prof. Monica GOTTA

Summary: -

 

SEPT 20 2022

Room:  auditorium Boymond B02.2226

Speaker: Eloïse DUCREY, Pr. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: Cancer is a leading cause of death in the world, but current treatments based on one single molecule often cause resistance and severe side effects. Eloïse DUCREY in collaboration with other researchers from the laboratories of Prof. Patrick MERALDI’s and Prof. Patrycja NOWAK is exploring the potential of C2, a four-drug combination, to treat colorectal cancer. Their recent experiments on several cell lines suggest that the drug combination is efficient, yet acts via an unexpected mechanism.

 

Room:  auditorium Boymond B02.2226

Speaker: Aleksandar ARSOVIC, Pr. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI laboratory

Summary: Adipose tissue is a multifunctional tissue, present in two types in our body: white, which stores excess of fat and brown, which generates heat under challenging environmental conditions. The browning of white adipose tissue is a rising therapeutic strategy in the context of obesity. Using single-cell approaches, such as single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, Aleksandar ARSOVIC in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI’s laboratory discovered novel genes involved in browning, whose exact role they are currently studying.

 

SEPT 13 2022

Room: room B04.2222 & Zoom

Speaker: Pr. Miguel ANGEL VALVERDE,  Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain invited by Pr. Nicolas DEMAUREX

Summary: -

 

SEPT 6 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Gonzalo SOLIS, Pr. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential for many physiological functions and their dysfunction can lead to severe diseases. Gonzalo SOLIS in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV’s laboratory is exploring the role of Gαo, the major neuronal subunit of G protein, in pediatric encephalopathies. Their recent in vitro experiments suggest that the interaction of Gαo with the Ric-8 protein may contribute to the severity of the disorder observed in patients.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Giorgio RAMADORI, Pr. Roberto COPPARI laboratory

Summary: -

 

AUG 30 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Axel TOLLANCE, Pr. Maud FRIEDEN laboratory

Summary: Understanding how skeletal muscle is able to regenerate is a key issue to develop new strategies for the treatment of skeletal myopathies. A key step of muscle regeneration is the activation of muscle stem cells. Axel TOLLANCE in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Maud FRIEDEN’s laboratory investigates the role of calcium in the activation of reserve muscle stem cells. They discovered that the protein Orai3, involved in the store operated calcium entry, contributes to muscle stem cell activation, but independently from calcium. They are now exploring the role of several partners of Orai3 to decipher the mechanisms involved.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526

Speaker: Emmanuel SOMM, Pr. François JORNAYVAZ laboratory

Summary: -

 

JUNE 28 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Kevin ASSOUMOU, Prof. Miriam STOEBER laboratory

Summary: -

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Xin ZHANG, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: -

 

JUNE 21 2022

Room: auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Grégoire ARNOUX, Prof. Eric FERAILLE laboratory

Summary: Chronic kidney disease is a growing global health concern that leads to renal fibrosis and loss of renal function. The progression of this severe disease is exacerbated by reduced blood vessel density. Grégoire ARNOUX in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Eric FERAILLE’s laboratory is exploring with different in vivo models the potential of the enzyme 11βHSD1 to promote blood vessel growth in the kidney and slow down the progression toward end-stage kidney disease.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Gloria URSINO, Prof. Roberto COPPARI laboratory

Summary: -

 

JUNE 14 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Imen AYADI, Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium known for its antibiotic resistance and responsible of severe infections. Understanding by which exact mechanisms it can be killed might help to develop new therapeutic strategies. Imen AYADI in collaboration with other researchers from Pierre COSSON laboratory is exploring with Dictyostelium discoideum as a model some of the mechanisms involved in intracellular and extracellular killing.

 

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Mayis KABA, Prof. Nicolas DEMAUREX laboratory

Summary: Phagocytosis is a fundamental mechanism essential for immunity and tissue functioning. During phagocytosis, membrane contact sites between phagosomes and endoplasmic reticulum take place. Mayis KABA in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Nicolas DEMAUREX laboratory is exploring the role played by phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins both at these membrane contact sites and in phagosomes.

 

JUNE 7 2022

Room:  auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Jérémy KESSLER, Prof. Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER laboratory

Summary: Transforming growth factors β (TGFβ) are dimeric proteins involved in the development of tissues and their steady-state. Two isoforms, TGFβ2 and TGFβ3, are of particular importance for muscle tissue, but their exact role and mechanism of action are not fully understood. Jérémy Kessler in collaboration with other researchers from Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER’s laboratory is exploring their configuration, function and activation mechanism in vitro.  

 

MAY 31 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Michael ZIMMERMANN, Structural and Computational Biology Unit, EMBL, Germany, invited by Prof. Anne-Claude GAVIN

Summary: -

 

MAY 24 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Jiabin XU, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: Clofazimine is an approved drug to treat leprosy. It appears that clofazimine inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway, a pathway important for stem cell maintenance and tissue regeneration and hijacked in several cancers. Jiabin XU in collaboration with other researchers from Vladimir KATANAEV’s laboratory is exploring the potential of clofazimine against Wnt-dependent cancers such as triple negative breast cancer, and against SARS-CoV-2.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Otmane LAMRABET, Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: -

 

MAY 17 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Adriano PIZZELLA, Prof. Monica GOTTA laboratory

Summary: Environmental stress causes cells to form aggregates called stress granules, but the mechanisms of their formation and function remain unclear. Adriano PIZZELLA together with the other researchers from Monica GOTTA’s laboratory is investigating in C. elegans embryos the mechanisms by which the PQN-59 protein contributes to the assembly of stress granules.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Haiping WANG, Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI laboratory

Summary: Temperature may play a role in the development of certain cancers, such as melanoma. Understanding better how temperature influences tumor growth can provide new therapeutic applications to restrain cancer progression. Haiping WANG together with the other researchers from Mirko TRAJKOVSKI’s laboratory, is exploring the role played by gut microbiota and fat in the response of tumors to warm exposure.

 

MAY 10 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Stéphane KOENIG, Prof. Maud FRIEDEN laboratory

Summary: Muscle fatigue can occur acutely after intense physical exercise or more chronically, for example during ageing. Stéphane KOENIG in collaboration with the other researchers from Maud FRIEDEN laboratory is exploring the role of the STIM1L protein in calcium signaling and muscle fatigue. Their recent experiments with a new mouse model revealed that the absence of STIML increases muscle fatigue at a certain age.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Thierry BRUN, Prof. Pierre MAECHLER laboratory

Summary: In the long term, an excessive intake of nutrients can lead to a failure of the beta-cells from the pancreas, giving rise to diabetes. Thierry BRUN and researchers from Pierre MAECHLER’s laboratory are exploring the effect of sugar and fat on beta-cells. They have identified an extracellular ATP signalling pathway important for the response of beta-cells. They are now studying the role of several components of this pathway that could represent future therapeutic targets.

 

MAY 5 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond and Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Tommaso PATRIARCHI, Institute of pharmacology and toxicology, University of Zurich, invited by Prof. Miriam STOEBER

Summary: -

 

MAY 3 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Alexandre THOMAS, Prof. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: During cell division, chromosomes are duplicated and equally distributed between two new cells. Their segregation relies on centrosomes which must also be duplicated to organize the network of microtubules that pull apart chromosomes. Alexandre THOMAS in collaboration with other researchers from Patrick MERALDI laboratory is carrying out microscopy experiments to determine the role of age and the number of centrosomes in the regulation of microtubule stability.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Xènia CRESPO, Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: Understanding how immune cells kill bacteria is a key issue for developing antibacterial effectors capable of killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Xènia CRESPO in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory is identifying some of the proteins involved in intracellular bacterial killing and degradation using a unicellular model called Dictyostelium discoideum.

 

AVR 26 2022

Room: auditorium Adolphe Franceschetti C150 and Zoom

Speaker: Melis COLAKOGLU, laboratoire du Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI

Summary: Osteoporosis is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease, characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration.  Warmth exposure (34°C) has been recently shown to have a protective role on bone loss. The research team of Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI has also shown that transplantation of the warm-adapted gut microbiota reproduces these warmth-induced bone effects. Melis COLAKOGLU in collaboration with other researchers in the laboratory is investigating the role of the gut microbiota on bone strength and glucose metabolism in postmenopausal mice.

 

Room: auditorium Adolphe Franceschetti C150 and Zoom

Speaker: Adama SIDIBE, Prof. Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER laboratory

Summary: Wound healing requires interactions between cells and their extracellular environment, such as fibronectin fibers. Acetylation of integrins on the cell surface is involved in this process, but some of the mechanisms remain unknown. Adama SIDIBE in collaboration with the other researchers from Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER’s laboratory is studying regulatory mechanisms that influence integrin β1 acetylation and fibronectin synthesis.

 

AVR 19 2022

Room:  auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Felix RENAUDIN, Prof. Didier HANNOUCHE laboratory

Summary: -

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Yonika LARASATI, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: Pediatric encephalopathies are rare, but severe diseases that still lack treatments. Impaired transmission of signals by G proteins plays a role in the progression and severity of these pathologies. Yonika LARASATI in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory tested hundreds of compounds and discovered a molecule that can potentially restore G protein signaling in pediatric encephalopathies.

 

AVR 12 2022 - 11 am

Room: auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Olivia CATTANEO, Prof. Perrine CASTETS laboratory

Summary: Aging often leads to muscle wasting and loss of strength. However, the cellular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Olivia CATTANEO, from Prof. Perrine CASTETS laboratory, is investigating the role of the CtBP1 protein in the maintenance of the synapse connecting motoneurons to muscles, and its contribution to muscle deterioration.

 

Room: auditorium Reverdin B02.2526 and Zoom

Speaker: Raquel FIRNKES, Prof. Roberto COPPARI laboratory

Summary: The protein FKBP10 has been recently highlighted as a promising therapeutic target against lung cancer by the laboratory of Roberto COPPARI. Raquel FIRNKES in collaboration with the other researchers from this team is now establishing the relevance of this protein in the fight against another cancer, colorectal cancer. Results from their in vitro and in vivo experiments are encouraging and further support investigation on the role of FKBP10 in colorectal cancer.

 

APR 12 2022 - 10 am

Room: Auditorium Alex‐F. Müller A250 and Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Tiago Gil Oliveira, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Portugal , invited by Prof. Anne-Claude Gavin

Summary: -

 

APR 7 2022 - 2 pm

Room: B04.2222

Speaker: Alessandro SARTORI, Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, invited by Prof. Monica GOTTA & Prof. Patrick MERALDI

Summary: -

 

MAR 29 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Gerald SCHWANK, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, invited by Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI

Summary: -

 

MAR 28 2022

Room: room A04.2906

Speaker: Erik GRIFFIN, Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, USA, invited by Prof. Monica GOTTA

Summary: -

 

MAR 22 2022

Room:  auditorium A-F Muller A250 and Zoom

Speaker: Elena DORIA, Prof. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: The faithful segregation of chromosomes in two daughter cells relies on a network of microtubules that bind the chromosomes and pull them apart. Elena DORIA in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Patrick MERALDI’s group is exploring the role of microtubule-binding proteins in this process. Their experiments reveal that proteins that bind to one end of microtubules are able to influence not only that end, but also the other.

 

Room: auditorium A-F Muller A250 and Zoom

Speaker: Loann LAUBRY, Prof. Maud FRIEDEN laboratory

Summary: Calcium is a key element involved in the regulation of many cellular processes. Thestore operated calcium entry (SOCE) pathway is of particular importance for muscles. Loann LAUBRY in collaboration with other researchers from Maud FRIEDEN’s laboratory is exploring the role of different isoforms of a protein called STIM1 in the SOCE pathway, at the beginning of muscle formation and during their maturation.

 

MAR 15 2022

Room: B04.2222 and Zoom

Speaker: Laure GALLAY, Prof. Didier HANNOUCHE laboratory

Summary: Skeletal muscle inflammation regeneration relies on muscle stem cells, which allow the full repair of muscle. Laure GALLAY, in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Didier HANNOUCHE’s laboratory, is exploring the involvement of muscle stem cells in different types of muscle autoimmune diseases called acquired idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

 

Room: B04.2222 and Zoom

Speaker: Vincent BERWEILER, Prof. Mirko TRAJKOVSKI laboratory

Summary: -

 

MAR 8 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Mikhail KRYUCHKOV, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: Insects build microscopic structures on their surface, called nanocoatings. Understanding how there are built may provide new therapeutic avenues. Mikhail KRYUCHKOV in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV’s laboratory has developed a process to produce nanocoatings in vitro. They are now exploring further the mechanisms involved in their formation.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Alexandre PROLA, Prof. Perrine CASTETS laboratory

Summary: Muscles are affected in many pathological conditions, such as aging. However, the mechanisms leading to muscle decline remain often unknown. Alexandre PROLA, in the laboratory of Prof. Perrine CASTETS, investigates the role of local calcium fluxes in the maintenance of the synapse connecting neurons to muscles and the contribution of calcium-associated signaling pathways in sensing the loss of innervation, following nerve injury or spontaneous denervation, such as in aging.

 

MAR 7 2022, 2pm

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226

Speaker: Prof. Matthias PETER, Institute of Biochemistry ETH Zurich, invited by Prof. Monica GOTTA

Summary: -

 

MAR 4 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Dr Rémi Mounier, Institute NeuroMyogène from CNRS, France, invited by Dr Thomas Laumonier

Summary: -

 

MAR 3 2022

Room: auditorium C150 and Zoom

Speaker: Prof. Timo OTONKOSKI, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki, Finland, invited by Prof. Pierre MAECHLER

Summary: -

 

MAR 1 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Cédric CASTROGIOVANNI, Prof. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: Cell division is a tightly synchronized machinery that allows the faithful segregation of chromosomes in two daughter cells. To separate equally the chromosomes, microtubules bind to them at kinetochores and pull them apart. Cédric CASTROGIOVANNI in collaboration with other researchers from Patrick MERALDI’s laboratory uncovered that microtubules binding to chromosomes contain a particular zone, the mixed-nucleotide zone, which is important for their dynamic equilibrium and for the segregation of chromosomes.

 

FEV 22 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Thomas VERISSIMO, Prof. Sophie DE SEIGNEUX laboratory

Summary: Chronic kidney disease affects about 10% of the adult population. New therapeutic strategies are needed as this disease is a leading cause of death. Thomas VERISSIMO in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Sophie DE SEIGNEUX’s laboratory studies the role of a specific receptor in kidney fibrosis and chronic kidney disease progression.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Alexandra BONDAZ, Prof. Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER laboratory

Summary: Glioblastoma is one of the most common and aggressive forms of brain cancer. Finding new therapeutic approaches is essential, as the chances of survival for patients are very low. Alexandra BONDAZ in collaboration with other researchers from the laboratories of Prof. Bernhard WEHRLE-HALLER and Prof. Denis MIGLIORINI explores the potential of targeting the C-KIT oncogene and its role on the tumor microenvironment.

 

FEV 15 2022

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Claudie BIAN, Prof. Pierre COSSON laboratory

Summary: Single-pass transmembrane proteins are a very common type of proteins involved in many processes, such as cell adhesion, migration and growth. However, the mechanisms involved in their correct localisation, in particular at the Golgi apparatus, remain not clear. Claudie BIAN in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Pierre COSSON’s laboratory is trying to determine how the orientation of the protein or the length and degree of hydrophobicity of its part inserted into the membrane play a role in its localization.

 

Room: auditorium Boymond B02.2226 and Zoom

Speaker: Cédric BOUDOU, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: The Wnt signaling pathway is dysregulated in many cancers and the discovery of agents targeting this pathway could improve therapeutic approaches. Cédric BOUDOU in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV is looking for small molecules that can selectively target the upstream part of this pathway and provide new treatment options with fewer side effects.

 

FEV 8 2022

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Juliette SIMONIN, Prof. Marc CHANSON laboratory

Summary: Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease leading to multiple symptoms. Associated respiratory infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of mortality. Juliette SIMONIN in collaboration with the other researchers from Prof. Marc CHANSON laboratory is investigating the cellular mechanisms by which airway surface liquid protects airways against P. aeruginosa.

 

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Amado CARRERAS SUREDA, Prof. Nicolas DEMAUREX laboratory

Summary: -

 

FEV 1 2022

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Victoria VON GLASENAPP, Prof. Monica GOTTA laboratory

Summary: -

 

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Larissa VAN EK, Prof. Anne-Claude GAVIN laboratory

Summary: Maintaining a balanced composition of lipids in membranes is important for many cell functions and a dysregulation of this equilibrium is involved in many diseases ranging from obesity to Alzheimer’s disease. Lipid transfer proteins play an essential role in this process. Larissa VAN EK in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Anne-Claude GAVIN laboratory is exploring their mechanisms of action and their interactions with cellular metabolism.

 

JAN 18 2022

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Daria IVANOVA, Prof. Patrick MERALDI laboratory

Summary: Understanding cell division is a key issue in overcoming primary microcephaly, a genetic disorder caused by the absence of the protein WDR62 and resulting in impaired brain development. Daria IVANOVA in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Patrick MERALDI’s group is investigating whether lagging chromosomes caused by a loss of WDR62 can induce DNA damage and cell division arrest.

 

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Mikhail SAVITSKIY, Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory

Summary: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential for many physiological functions. Their dysfunction can lead to severe diseases, such as encephalopathies. Mikhail SAVITSKIY in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Vladimir KATANAEV laboratory is developing a new fly model to understand the role of Gαo, a particular subunit of G protein, in a specific encephalopathy where this protein is involved.

 

JAN 11 2022

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Zoé VALBRET, Prof. Miriam STOEBER laboratory

Summary: G protein-coupled receptors GPCR are involved in many physiological processes and targeted by a third of drugs on market. Unraveling the molecular details of their signal transduction is key for developing safer medications, e.g. for the treatment of pain or heart problems. Zoé VALBRET in collaboration with other researchers from Prof. Miriam STOEBER’s laboratory is studying GPCR action with nanobodies, small antibody fragments that are able to detect the activation of GPCRs in living cells.

 

Room: Zoom

Speaker: Ali SASSI, Prof. Eric FERAILLE laboratory

Summary: Control of the reabsorption of filtered water and minerals, such as sodium and potassium is essential to maintain an adequate balance of body liquids. The fine-tuning of this balance is performed in the kidneys along nephron segments, through transcellular transport (across cells) and paracellular transport (between cells through tight junctions). While the transcellular mechanisms have been extensively studied, the paracellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Ali SASSI in collaboration with other researchers from Pr. Eric FERAILLE’s laboratory is exploring the role played by claudins, key components of tight junctions, in the paracellular permeability of a specific segment of the nephron, the renal collecting duct.