Former laboratory members

Engineer Inserm Contact: isabelle.beluche(at)inserm.fr Phone: 04 67 14 39 80 Team 3: Longevity and vitality

Presentation

Trained as a biochemist, epidemiologist and statistician.

Involved in 2 projects of the team:

• European EHLEIS-BRIDGE HEALTH project: Development of an information and dissemination system of life expectancies in Europe (Eurohex),
• 5-COOP project (France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Japan): Relationships between the level of mortality selection and the health status of the oldest old.

Neurosciences PhD Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches Assistant Professor at the University of Montpellier, France Contact: gina.devau(at)umontpellier.fr Phone: 04 67 14 48 30 Group 1: Metabolic impacts in tauopathies

Presentation 

I carry my teaching and my research in the field of Neurosciences at the Faculty of Science of the University of Montpellier. I am responsible for several Teaching Units in Bachelor and Master. I am interested by the regulatory processes. During my thesis, I have analyzed the effect of serotonin on tyrosine hydroxylase activity of locus coeruleus neurons in culture. Then, in the laboratory Inserm U254 and Inserm 432, I have studied the glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the vestibular and cochlear sensory systems. I have investigated the changes in intracellular calcium induced by activation of glutamate receptors and transporters. Finally, in the MMDN laboratory, Inserm U710 and Inserm 1198, I have explored the gene expression changes during healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease using transcrptomic approaches, Affymetrix microarrays and RNA-seq. Specific transcriptomic profiles were revealed in relation with age or with the pathology. Some genes were detected highly discriminant to differentiate cerebral aging and the pathology. These studies were funded by the Région Languedoc-Roussillon et interministériel funds "DiaTrAl", National Plan Alzheimer “PRANET“, Européen FP7 "BrainCAV" . I have participated in several meetings organized by Boris Cyrulnik and Antoine Lejeune about resilience process occurring in pathologies associated to aging. I am also implicated to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research to a large audience. I am in charge on the organization of the Brain Awareness Week in Montpellier, every March. With a local committee, we have created the neurosciences association "La comédie des Neurones".

Research Director CNRS Contact: florence.maschat(at)umontpellier.fr Phone: 33 (0)4 67 14 42 70 Team 4: Huntington’s disease: Neurophysiopathology from drosophila to mice Collaborations :  Medesis pharma (Private company - Baillargues - France) Pr Michel Vignes (IBMM, University of Montpellier) Pr Edwin Chan (University of Hong Kong) Resume Publications Interview - 2013

Presentation

Our research topics include two axes.

One concerns the study of Engrailed homeoprotein. The identification of the regulatory networks involving this transcription factor have been carried out using genomic scale approaches: chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments to isolate direct targets genes and two-hybrid experiments in yeast to identify Engrailed cofactors. Our team has recently focused on Engrailed implication in neurodevelopment, and the identification of genes regulated by Engrailed and its cofactor (Neuro-Goosberry) to better understand the role of Engrailed in the construction of the nerve cord of an embryo.

On the other hand, among the direct targets of Engrailed, we identified that the Huntingtin, whose human homolog is involved in Huntington's disease (a rare neurodegenerative disease), is directly activated by Engrailed. This allowed us to develop a different axis and identify a 23aa peptide P42 contained in the Huntingtin protein which presents protective properties of this disease in Drosophila but also in mice. Besides obtaining international patents, P42 recently obtained an orphan drug designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). We plan to further develop this axis to better understand the physiological role of P42 and the mechanisms of action of this peptide in a view of its development at therapeutic purposes.

Research Fellow CNRS Contact: veronique.perrier(at)umontpellier.fr Phone: 04 67 14 33 87 Team 6: "Environmental impact in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders" Curriculum-vitae Recent collaborations: Pr Liu J., Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Dr. Robitzer M., Institut Charles Gehrard, Laboratoire MACS, Montpellier. Dr. Bougard D., Etablissement Français du Sang, Laboratoire Transdiag, Montpellier. Dr. Prevostel C., Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, Montpellier.

Presentation

After obtaining my PhD in the field of protein biochemistry at the Pasteur Institute of Paris (1997, Paris XI University, Orsay), I continued my education with a postdoctoral training on the innovative concept of  "prions", which are infectious proteins responsible of prion diseases. I joined the laboratory of Pr. S. Prusiner in the United States (San Francisco, CA, 1997-2000) to study the mecanisms of resistance of prions via the characterization of "dominant negative" polymorphisms in transgenic mice, as well as a new approach of structure-based drug design via molecular and cellular screenings.In 2000, I got a researcher position at the CNRS and I joined the laboratory of Pr. S. Lehmann (Institute of Human Genetics, Montpellier, 2001-2004). The identification of antibodies and molecules such as dendrimers having "anti-prion" properties in cell cultures, and the development of lentiviral vectors carrying "dominant negative" prion proteins to develop a gene therapy approach were the main work carried out during this period.Since 2005, I joined the laboratory INSERM U710-now U1198- headed by Dr. JM Verdier. My research theme focuses on the study of molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases. I identified a family of thienyl pyrimidine compounds that specifically induce oligomers of the pathological isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc. These compounds exhibit very interesting properties for the diagnosis of prions and the deprionization of blood (collaboration with EFS Midi-Pyrénées). Furthermore, one of the identified compounds is a molecule derived from α-tertiophenes, which are synthesized by plants and possessed powerful herbicidal properties. Currently, my research theme has evolved into the role of pesticides in neurodegenerative diseases especially Alzheimer's and prions.