C H A R L E R O I
B R U S S E L S
S O U T H
The Biopark Charleroi
Brussels South Newsletter
n°23 — fall 2014
New Biopark course
Immune system and cancer
2
Immunology : a robust sector
3
Sifting masses of data
4
A closer look at the first neurons 5
The trypanosome's disguise
6
Membrane transporters
7
Streptococcus A
8
The people behind research
9
Surprising picture 10
Fluorescent microscopy
11
In brief
12
Using the immune system
to fight cancer
Mood
I recently spoke to a doctor who asked me if
the Biopark offered lifelong learning courses in
mass computer processing of biological data:
- “No, sorry. Not yet”.
- “Ah. That’s a pity. You wouldn’t believe how
much time it could save us...” he replied.
Lifelong Learning at universities is a powerful
tool to build new skills throughout life. To be
credible, it must have a genuine real-world
application, and be based on cutting edge skills
that are often cross-disciplinary and constantly
enriched by research. The University’s
contribution to society is also made through
this type of training, and it is a way to provide
society with the varied skills present within an
entire university, and through its partners.
Today, the course that the doctor enquired
about features in our prospectus (see page 4).
It was born of a joint effort between the ULB’s
Lifelong Learning Department, the Biopark, the
Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in
Brussels (IB)², and the Biowin cluster.
We would like to thank everyone who shared
their training needs with us, as well as our
partners helping us to meet them through
an innovative, dynamic prospectus tailored to
the varied target audiences working within a
single ecosystem.
Arnaud Termonia,
Head of Lifelong Learning at the ULB
and Biopark Training.
2
New Biopark course
An immunology specialist, the Biopark has joined forces with
Campus Erasme, soon to be home to the Cancéropôle, to develop
and launch a cancer immunology event.
Cancer specialists agree that we have
reached a watershed in the treatment of
cancer. Work stretching back years seeking to
use the immune system to combat tumours is
finally bearing its fruits.
to bring together two of the ULB’s professional
development training centres working in the
biomedical sector together (Biopark Training and
the Pole Santé Training Centre) to jointly organise
the event”, Erika Baus adds.
Proof of this came when cancer immunotherapy
was voted scientific advance of the year in
2013 by the journal Science. It is predicted
that immunotherapy will account for 60% of
all cancer treatments within the next 10 years,
and the “Cancer immunotherapy” course from
Biopark Training (scheduled for launch in early
2015), forms part of this trend.
Damiano Di Stazio
“The event will follow an original format”, Erika
Baus, scientific coordinator at Biopark Training,
explains. “It combines not only modules on
general immunology and antitumour immunity,
but also a symposium of international experts in
cancer immunotherapy. The idea was to deliver
these basic modules to build or refresh the skills
of people who could then learn more from the
talks by international experts”.
The symposium is intended to present the most
promising immunotherapy strategies, as well
as the clinical results obtained in Belgium and
surrounding countries. “As the event is aimed
mainly at medical professionals, it seemed right
PROMISING STRATEGIES
Unlike other treatments, immunotherapy does
not attack cancerous cells directly: it targets
the immune system in order to more effectively
eliminate the diseases. While the method cannot
be said to work in all patients, it can extend their
life, or even lead to remission in some cases.
As an example, an important stage in the
fight against cancer has already begun with
Sipuleucel-T. It is a therapeutic vaccine whereby
a formula of dendritic cells taken from the patient
and then loaded with tumour antigens in the
lab is injected into the patient to stimulate the
antitumour response.
Immunology: a robust sector
With over 150 researchers (IMI, IBMM, ImmuneHealth) and 7 companies (Novasep, Univercells,
MaSTherCell, DelphiGenetics, ITeos Therapeutics, Euroscreen, and ImmunXperts) working to
develop the methods, tools, and products based around the immune system, the Biopark stands
out as an expert in the vast field of immunology.
Take two research
labs - the Institute for
Medical
Immunology
(IMI) and the Institute
of Molecular Biology
and Medicine (IBMM) add the ImmuneHealth
collective vaccinology
research centre,
together with a liberal sprinkling of businesses
working, from near or far, on immune system
projects, and there you have the Biopark’s
cluster of excellence in “Immuno” Research.
Another particularly interesting approach:
checkpoint inhibitors. Here, the aim is to
use monoclonal antibodies to target specific
molecules in immune cells, thereby enabling
them to attack cancer cells. The CTLA-4
molecule, for example, is responsible for
inhibiting the activation of certain cells in the
immune system (T-lymphocytes). By blocking
this molecule with specific antibodies, the
immune system is freed and can attack
the tumour.
“Immunology has always been a tradition at
the ULB”, recounts Oberdan Leo, director of the
Institute for Medical Immunology since 2009.
“What makes the ULB unique in the field of
immunology, and what doubtless explains its
current strong positioning, is the dual culture
of its research teams that come from both the
Faculty of Sciences and Faculty of Medicine,
or that Michel Goldman, with support from
Wallonia and GSK Vaccines was able to create
an Institute for Medical Immunology focusing
on vaccines and transplants”, Oberdan Leo
states, before continuing, “The arrival of
ImmuneHealth, Iteos Therapeutics and, more
recently, ImmunXperts stands testament
to the Biopark’s excellence and appeal in
this field, whether in terms of skills or the
cutting edge facilities (for flow cytometry, for
example) and infrastructure”.
laboratories where a variety of skills - in
immunology, parasitology, virology, bacterial
physiology, etc. - are already in place. Our
research is focused mainly on the regulation
of the immune response (animal model) and
regulating gene expression in controlling the
inflammatory response”.
In addition to the links forged with the new
Erasme Cancéropôle (see page 2) that
pools strengths on a university-wide basis, the
Biopark is also seeking to develop a unique
structure on the campus in coming months.
“The IMI, IBMM, ImmuneHealth, and the CER
Groupe de Marloie have just submitted a joint
project to the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF)”, Oberdan Leo reveals.
Damiano Di Stazio
Having consolidated the potential found on the
campus and expanded its regional partnerships,
the Biopark is continuing its policy of
international expansion. “Recent contact with
various foreign companies and the potential
arrival of a Swiss company in Gosselies are
proof of this”, explains Dominique Demonté,
Director of the Biopark. “In immunology, thanks
to the academic and industrial critical mass
on the Biopark and in the wider region, we are
gradually becoming an attractive prospect for
foreign companies.”
“The aim is to create a federation of immunology
New Biopark course
3
Sifting masses of data
In partnership with the Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (IB)² and the ULB’s
Lifelong Learning Department, Biopark Training has launched a new course focusing the analysis
of large data sets. The course’s outcome? To learn how to extract pertinent information from a
critical mass of data in the Life Sciences field.
At the time of writing, there are a range of
applications for data mining, from the analysis
of financial data to fraud detection, or even
the study of biomedical data taken from NGS
(see box). This means that there is a growing
need for techniques that can effectively
analyse the swathes of available data, and
extract the most relevant information.
From December 2014, this is exactly what the
new Big Data Mining in Life Sciences course
from Biopark Training and the Interuniversity
of Bioinformatics in Brussels will seek to do.
“It is a cutting edge issue that is of interest
to a great many academic and industrial
researchers”, explains Erika Baus, scientific
coordinator and trainer at Biopark Training.
“The new course includes an introductory
module that explores which data mining
methods and technologies are available to life
sciences today, and an advanced module on
software such as R and Bioconductor. Those
who complete the course will be able to use
broadband molecular biology techniques to
study genetic expression, locate biomarkers,
or identify regulation networks.”
Damiano Di Stazio
NGS: A REVOLUTION UNDERWAY!
Biopark Training has also launched training cycle on “Next Generation Sequencing”, which
will begin on 3 November. “Traditional DNA sequencing (Sanger) was for a long time the
most widespread sequencing method”, explains Valérie Hertveldt, the scientific training
coordinator, but new sequencing techniques (NGS) are quickly taking its place in a number of
different applications. In spite of its many advantages (see table below), one major handicap
with NGS is the need to work with (too) large volumes of data. “Through this course, we want
to provide all of the keys to succeed with proper NGS analysis. What is NGS? What needs to
be considered before an experiment begins? How can we interpret the results without being
a bioinformatics specialist? Our aim is to answer all of these questions by focusing on the
medical sphere, and oncology in particular”. Biopark Training can call upon the expertise of
IPG and OncoDNA for this course.
SEQUENCING THE HUMAN GENOME USING SANGER SEQUENCING VS. NGS
4
New Biopark course
Sanger Sequencing
Next-Generation Sequencing
Very long procedure: took 13 years
Fast: takes just a few days (under 1 week)
Cost: hundreds of thousands of euros
Cost: around €3800
Requires thousands of scientists
Needs no more than 5 people
A closer look at the first neurons
Two projects launched in the IBMM’s Developmental Genetics Laboratory aim to better understand
the role played by Dmrt3-5 transcription factors in the development of the cerebral cortex.
A major integrating structure of the brain and
command centre for cognitive function, the
cerebral cortex is made up of hundreds of
different neurons that radiate outwards in
layers coated with cells with varying types of
connections, and tangentially into areas with
specific functions (motor, sensory, or cognitive).
Development of the cerebral cortex depends
on the timely generation of the right number of
these different neural cells in the right place,
before they establish connections and form
operational networks.
The IBMM’s Developmental Genetics Laboratory
recently demonstrated that the transcription
factor Dmrt5 expressed in the cortical progenitors
plays a critical role in the development of the
cerebral cortex. In mice where the Dmrt5 gene
was disabled, researchers led by Eric Bellefroid
discovered that the first neurons produced
during embryonic development, which form a
layer of cells below the cerebral cortex known
as the subplate, are practically missing. The
following neurons that form the six layers of the
cortex proper are, however, properly formed.
The subplate is crucial in establishing cortical
circuits and alterations to the subplate are
understood to play a role in diseases such as
schizophrenia and autism.
WIENER ANSPACH FOUNDATION
In partnership with a team in Oxford and with
support from the Wiener Anspach Foundation,
this autumn the Developmental Genetics
Laboratory will begin a two-year research
project to better understand the role of Dmrt5
in forming the subplate. “We have shown
that Dmrt5 is essential in forming these first
cortical neurons. What we don’t yet know is
how it controls their production”, Eric Bellefroid
observes, “So we are going to work to identify
the target genes regulated by Dmrt5. Our
colleagues in Oxford are subplate research
specialists and will help us to better categorise
subplate anomalies caused by the lack of Dmrt5.
The research should help to better understand
the genetic networks that control the generation
of these cells that play a crucial role in cortical
connections”.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL
The laboratory has also secured three years of
funding from the Wallonia – First International
– which also focuses on Dmrt transcription
factors in the development of the cerebral
cortex. Entitled CORTEX, the project unites
teams from the IBMM, Delphi Genetics (spinoff on the Biopark), a team from the Erasmus
Medical Center (Rotterdam), and another from
the National Institute for Medical Research
(London). “It is currently difficult to produce
antibodies against transcription factors that
can be used to identify their targets, but Delphi
Genetics recently developed a technique that
may make this easier, but that still needs to be
approved for the type of protein we are looking
at”, Eric Bellefroid explains. “By working with
Delphi Genetics, we hope to obtain high quality
antibodies for Dmrt3-5 factors, as well as to
validate their immunisation technique. These
antibodies are essential tools in understanding
the physiological role of Dmrt3-5 factors and
characterizing them as potential therapeutic
targets in neurodevelopmental diseases”.
Nathalie Gobbe
5
The trypanosome’s disguise, laid bare
Trypanosome continually change their coating of proteins in order to escape the immune system.
But researchers at the IBMM have just decoded part of how this mechanism works.
The trypanosome is a master of camouflage!
Transmitted by the tsetse fly and causing
sleeping sickness in humans, the trypanosome
can survive decades in its host’s blood without
being disturbed by the immune system. Its
secret? Antigenic variation. “The trypanosome
has a coating of protective proteins”, explains
Luc Vanhamme, FNRS Director of Research at the
Molecular Parasitology Laboratory (IBMM), “But
it changes its coat every week, to coincide with
the time the immune system needs to produce
antibodies”. Constantly on the back foot, the
6
immune system is unable fight and eliminate
the parasite that travels unvanquished through
its host. “When we know that the DNA of a
trypanosome contains 1500 different genes for
these surface proteins, we know how it is able
to remain in its host’s bloodstream for up to 30
years”, the researcher continues. “Furthermore,
it rules out the possibility of a vaccine: the protein
changes too quickly.”
TWO HYPOTHESES
Understanding this antigenic variation is therefore
essential if we are to develop treatment for the
illness. So how exactly does the trypanosome
express a different protein each time?
Researchers agree that the check is made when
transcription occurs, when polymerase copy DNA
into RNA. But two conflicting hypotheses have
persisted for twenty years. The first suggests that
the check occurs when transcription begins: the
polymerase settles on a single, unique gene that
corresponds to the expressed surface gene. “The
second hypothesis, which we have defended
from the outset”, Luc Van Hamme explains, “is
that the check takes place during elongation of
the transcription: we thing that the polymerase
attaches itself to all of the genes for the coating
proteins. There it begins the process and
synthesises small pieces of RNA, but is not quite
able to synthesise a single, full, and operational
piece of RNA”.
LOGIC AND HARD WORK
And it is the latter hypothesis that Luc
Vanhamme, Etienne Pays, and Ali Kassem,
a Ph.D student in the lab, have been able to
prove, in a study published in PNAS in June. For
his thesis, Ali Kassem identified all of the RNA
corresponding to the start of the known surface
protein sequence. He then looked at which RNA
were expressed in a single trypanosome. “The
thinking is quite simple”, Luc Vanhamme picks
up, “if the check occurred at the beginning, the
parasite would only express a single RNA. But if
the check occurred during elongation, we would
have several different RNA corresponding to the
different proteins, as was the case in our study”.
The logic was simple, but the process was drawn
out: “It was a technical challenge, as we had to
isolate and work on a single trypanosome to be
sure that the detected RNA was expressed in
a single parasite”. At long last, this meticulous
work put an end to a 20-year debate. Now,
IBMM researchers are working to identify the
elongation factor that helps the polymerase to
express a single, unique RNA. A potential area for
future study, and a new challenge “for the thrill of
the chase”, Luc Van Hamme tells us.
Natacha Jordens
Membrane transporters in focus
For several years now, the Molecular Cell Physiology Laboratory (IBMM) has had an interest in
how membrane transporters work. Two recent publications shed light on how these proteins are
regulated using yeast as a model.
Receptors, transporters... and more; the cells
of our body react to their environment through
membrane proteins present on the surface of
the cell, and they are particularly dependent
on these proteins to feed and absorb nutrients
from their surroundings. “That is one of several
roles played by the amino acid transporters
that we studied”, Bruno André explains. Along
with his team at the Molecular Cell Physiology
Laboratory (IBMM) he is trying to clarify how
they work and how they are regulated using
yeast as a model. “When a cell has sufficient
amino acids, we know that some of these
transporters are withdrawn from the membrane
by endocytosis, and are then broken down. A
few years ago, we showed that this process
was triggered by ubiquitination: adding a type
of label to the protein that is to be broken
down. Proteins from the arrestin family play a
role in this phase. Since then, we have been
trying to understand the conditions that trigger
endocytosis and the mechanisms that activate
their arrestins to add this label”. Their work led
to two publications in recent months.
STRESS IS ALSO A FACTOR
Firstly, the study published in the Journal of
Biological Chemistry in June showed that
membrane transporters are also broken down
when the cell is in stressful conditions. “We
think that it is a defence mechanism”, Bruno
André explains. “In stressful conditions, the
cell activates arrestins to eliminate some of
its membrane transporters by ubiquitination.
This allows the cell to recover amino acids to
use in the adaptation process or to stockpile
reserves. It is a general cellular response: we
have seen that other types of transporters
suffer the same fate”.
PROTEIN HARA-KIRI
Another study published in Molecular and
Cellular Biology in early September shows
that amino acid transporters stimulate their
own breakdown: “Proteins commit hara-kiri
as soon as they begin to catalyse the entry
of amino acids into the cell”. How can this
rapid breakdown be explained? The Biological
Membrane Function and Structure and Function
of Biological Membrane Laboratory carried
out further study by modelling the threedimensional structure of the transporters. “We
then discovered that the substrate bound to the
transporter caused a change in conformation
that displays the detection signal through
arrestins, which triggers the mechanism”. QED.
Both teams are now trying to shed light on the
details of this conformation change, and the
researchers will also try to reproduce these
studies using human cells. “These processes
tend to be well preserved throughout evolution”,
Bruno concludes, “We therefore suspect that the
conditions that trigger membrane transporter
endocytosis and the agents involved in the
process will be similar to those in yeast, but we
now need to prove it”.
Natacha Jordens
Modeling of the transporter studied
by Bruno André and his team
7
Streptococcus A: from molecule to the clinic
Carrying out post-doctoral research in Melbourne, Pierre Smeesters has made advances in
streptococcus A by collaborating with a number of teams, including the Bacterial Genetics and
Physiology Laboratory at the IBMM.
A
scientific
enigma,
streptococcus A remains
a major threat to public
health: every year, this
bacteria kills more than
500,000 people, mainly in
developing countries. There
is currently no vaccine
that is effective against
the multitude of bacterial
strains, while the germ
itself has been constantly
growing for over 20 years.
FIJIAN ISLANDS
Paediatrician and IBMM researcher, Pierre
Smeesters joined Melbourne’s Murdoch
Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne,
thanks in no small way to the ULB’s international
reputation. The Pacific region – Fiji, New
Zealand, New Caledonia – is particularly
afflicted by streptococcus A: Melbourne
boasts a blood bank containing samples from
infected children in Fiji, which is essential to
Pierre Smeesters’ research. In late June, he
also published an article in Clinical Infectious
Diseases: for the first time, researchers had
identified the main antigens in three countries
of the Pacific region – Australia, New Caledonia,
and Fiji.
8
A few weeks earlier, Pierre Smeesters penned
another article in the official journal of the
Infectious Diseases Society of America, the
Journal of Infectious Diseases. This marked a
new phase for the consortium of researchers
and doctors from 31 countries that he formed
and coordinates. “We have experimentally
approved a new classification of streptococcus
A that is able to predict how virulent each
strain may be. This classification paves the way
to develop a vaccine effective against most
strains around the world, which is of course our
ultimate goal. The world-leading streptococcus
A laboratory, the Center for Disease Control in
the USA, is willing to use this classification,
which is proof of how useful it is”, Pierre
Smeesters recounts.
as we have with our international consortium
on streptococcus A; our approach that includes
everything from the molecular level to the clinic
has produced some outstanding advances and
been published in leading scientific journals”,
Pierre Smeesters highlights.
Nathalie Gobbe
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Back at the ULB as of next spring, the researcher
will continue working with his colleagues to
complete the comprehensive mapping that
should enable them to identify the components
of a future vaccine, and he will be making a
few Brussels-Melbourne round trips. “My
time in Australia has shown me that a crossdisciplinary approach to a single question
is an asset. Here we have themed research
institutes that have researchers and doctors
from varied backgrounds working together, just
Pierre Smeesters works on the streptococcus A
antigene in the Pacific region
The people behind research
Over a dozen new researchers have joined the Biopark’s research institutes in recent months.
Some appointed to the University or the FNRS, others for doctoral or post-doctoral research.
Among them are Viviana Lima Silva, from Uruguay, and Abdulkader Azouz from Syria.
Hailing
from
Uruguay, Viviana
Lima Silva began
her post-doctoral
research at the
IMI a few months
ago. “My husband
is also from
South America
and we moved
to
Thiméon,
just a few minutes from the Biopark. I had
been warned that I might get bored there!
But not at all: I’m happy to be living in the
countryside after living in cities like New
York, Jerusalem, Barcelona, and Vancouver.
From my balcony I can see fields, cows, and
the neighbouring farm: it’s so nice. And then,
you know, in Uruguay you can drive for 100
miles without seeing a house”, the researcher
enthusiastically adds.
Aged 37, Viviana has travelled the world to
follow her passion: research. After obtaining
her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the
Universidad de la Republica de Montevideo
(Uruguay), she completed her dissertation at
Rockfeller University in New York. The young
woman then decided to continue her studies
with a doctorate. She set off for Europe, and
arrived at the University of Malaga, in Spain.
Trained in the medical sector, in Malaga she
learned about plant biotechnology, securing
her Ph.D in 2011.
It was, however, a difficult period: her future
husband fell seriously ill. For many long weeks,
doctors tried to provide a diagnosis through
various different tests, but treatment was not
forthcoming... “Confronted with this illness, I
realised just how crucial research was, and I
decided to leave plant biotechnology behind
and move back to the medical sector”, she
remembers. Her husband recovered, and
Viviana began a master’s in immunology at
the University of Barcelona. The following year,
she got her degree and returned to Uruguay,
before a short stay in Canada – “to perfect my
English”, she explains, “I was offered a place
doing post-doctoral research in Saskatoon in
Canada but I turned it down: in winter, there,
it gets dark at 3 o’clock in the afternoon!” She
finally decided to join Stanislas Goriely’s team
at the Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI)
at the Biopark.
EPIGENETICS
Abdulkader Azouz also joined Stanislas
Goriely’s team at the IMI: on 1 September
he begon his post-doctoral research on the
epigenetic regulation of interleukin 12. “I
previously worked in cancer epigenetics in the
UK, at Swansea University. It was interesting,
and I also got to do a bit of teaching with
MA and Ph.D students. I wanted to continue
studying epigenetics, and subjects related
to the methylation of DNA were appealing. I
saw the IMI job ad in Nature Job and applied
straight away”, the 34 year old researcher
explains.
Originally from Syria, Abdulkader Azouz left
his home country aged 23 to study a master,
followed by a doctorate, at the Université
Paris-Sud. He then secured a Marie Curie
grant to travel to the UK, and will now be
spending the next two years on the Biopark.
First impressions? “The business aspect of
the Biopark is surprising, and interesting”. In
a few weeks, his wife and their new baby will
be joining him in Charleroi.
Nathalie Gobbe
9
Surprising picture
This photo shows a valve in a termite’s digestive system,
and was taken by Benoît Host at the Evolutionary biology
and Ecology Laboratory (ULB Faculty of Sciences), with
assistance from Laure Twyffels (CMMI). “The anatomy of
the enteric valve varies greatly between species. We are
now trying to see if there is any evolutionary convergence
between species that though distant, have similar diets”, she
explains. “Benoît Host originally came to use the electronic
scanning microscope to observe the differences, and we
placed a sample under the fluorescent microscope to see
what we could see. And then came the surprise: the valve
was naturally fluorescent. If creates a fantastic image!” One
of the images was chosen for the cover of the Journal of
Microscopy, a leading publication in the field, last August.
Fluorescent microscopy: where art and science meet
Laure Twyffels has been present on the Biopark for a few years now, and has become the campus
expert on fluorescent microscopy, a technique that lets her work in a number of fields and share
her expertise. She talks to Biopark news below.
Versatility and diversity,
these are what motivated
Laure Twyffels, now a
researcher at the Centre for
Microscopy and Molecular
Imaging (CMMI). These
watchwords are apparent
in her expertise with
fluorescent microscopes,
her tool of choice:
“Fluorescent microscopy
uses optics, chemistry, engineering, and even
a bit of computing, for applications in biology”,
the young woman explains, “I love this crossdisciplinary aspect”.
BACKGROUND
From the very beginning of her studies,
Laure Twyffels aimed for this diversity: “I
chose the bioengineer route as it was a
cross-disciplinary course, with a range of
future opportunities”, she explains. With her
sights set on research, Laure Twyffels then
turned to the Molecular Biology of the Gene
Laboratory, headed by Véronique Kruys at the
IBMM, where she completed her dissertation
and then a thesis on RNA connection proteins
and how they were transported between
the cell nucleus and cytoplasm. “I knew
that I was going to be trained in fluorescent
microscopy: the CMMI had just acquired a
microscope and it was the best technique
to study how proteins travel. I sat a lot of
courses, with either the manufacturer or in
meetings”. Gradually, Laure Twyffels became
the Biopark’s Madame Microscope, alongside
David Perez-Morga for electronic microscopy.
Sought out by Biopark Training, she also helps
with training in microscopy. “Giving classes
in an auditorium forces me to regularly keep
up to date with the theory so that I can easily
repeat it for students”, she explains, “I feel like
I am always getting to know my subject and
tools better”.
CURIOSITY AND AESTHETICS
Like a musician, Laure Twyffels orchestrates
controls, lenses, and biochemical components
to achieve the best possible image, a shot
that is as informative as possible. “I am
still fascinated by seeing what we can’t see
naturally, with the naked eye. And the added
bonus is that the result is sometimes really
stunning!”, she enthuses. Her contract with the
CMMI, signed when she completed her thesis
last year, brings her into contact with a variety
of researchers and projects. In particular, she
mentions a study on the digestive system of
termites, a photograph of which made the
cover of the Journal of Microscopy in August
(see opposite), or a study of the immune
system in newborns last year (above). “In this
To study the
immune system
of newborns, the
researchers looked
at where different
lymphocytes
were found in the
ganglions of mice.
study, we tried to understand why newborns
don’t respond to vaccines. In addition to
measuring the abundance of different
populations of lymphocytes, it was important
to determine where they were located within
the ganglions, and the only way to study
it was with a microscope. It is a technique
that can sometimes make a difference.” The
researcher hopes that she will be able to
continue her microscopy career, to feed this
curiosity. “I’ve been able to learn about a
number of very different research subjects,
and to make a contribution. This means that I
can continue to get involved in everything, to
be versatile, and to learn new things.” And for
this specialist in infinitely small images, this
motivation is essential.
Natacha Jordens
11
In brief
ETIENNE PAYS WINS THE SANOFI-PASTEUR AWARD
Etienne Pays (Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, IBMM) has just won
the Sanofi-Pasteur “Senior” Award, with a prize of €125,000, for his many
discoveries relating to trypanosomosis. The international panel cited the
understanding of how the various ways that trypanosomes resist attack,
as well as innate resistance mechanisms that humans use against some
of these parasites.
FIRST PATIENT TREATED WITH ALLOB®
In June, Bone Therapeutics announced that clinical trials of its cell
therapy product, ALLOB®, were officially underway: a first patient has
been treated for a poorly healed fracture as part of Phase I/IIa of the
clinical trial for the product.
ALLOB® is the first allogenic cell therapy product, made from osteoblasts
from healthy donors. The first phases of the clinical trial are designed to
assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug over a 6 month period.
In total, 32 patients with unhealed fractures will take part in the trials.
HIV/AIDS: RECOGNITION FOR ONE
OF OUR RESEARCHERS
A researcher at the Molecular Virology Laboratory (IBMM), Gilles Darcis,
received the “IAS/ANRS Young Investigator Award” for his research into
reservoirs of the HIV-1 virus.
The prize, awarded during the closing ceremony of the International AIDS
Conference held in Melbourne in July, rewards researchers aged under 35
who have completed original, innovative, rational research into HIV.
An aspiring clinical researcher at the FNRS, Gilles Darcis was chosen for
his work on “Synergistic activation of HIV-1 expression by compounds
releasing active positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and by
inducers of the NF-kB signaling pathway”.
STABYEXPRESS USED IN FOOD INDUSTRY
StabyExpress® technology, developed by Delphi Genetics, is destined
for use in the food industry. TThe company, based on the Biopark,
signed an agreement early this summer with a food company for
the GMP manufacture of the enzymes needed for certain processes.
Delphi Genetics has shown that its product can be used for any
process that used E.Coli bacteria to create proteins, without using
antibiotic resistant genes.
Quartely publication
C H A R L E R O I
B R U S S E L S
S O U T H
Editor : Nathalie Gobbe • Editorial Staff : Bruno André, Christelle De Beys,
Dominique Demonté, Natacha Jordens, Véronique Kruys, Arnaud Termonia
Sub-editor : Nancy Dath • Photos : Bruno FAHY (partim) • Lay-out : Céline Kerpelt | Curlie
Contact : ULB, Department of External Relations, Research Communication : [email protected],
+32 (0)71 60 02 03 • http://www.biopark.be