NEWS JANUARY 2023:

We use machine learning, cell biology, and preclinical models to investigate and mitigate neuronal decline in neurodegenerative diseases. We are seaking for 1-2 early- to mid-career French researchers (DR, CR, Pr, MCU, IR) with established expertise in either extracellular vesicles or genome integrity to join and develop our research on these topics. Potentially interested by these opportunities? Feel free to be in touch to learn more about our research in neurosciences.

PAST NEWS:

September 2022: Postdoctoral positions and research assistant positions may become available in the lab starting April-May 2023 to study the mechanisms of neuronal resilience to neurodegenerative insults such as mutant huntingtin (Huntington’s disease) - Keywords: stress response mechanisms, DNA damage response, viral transduction, cellular senescence, neuronal activity, synaptic transmission, microfluidics, human iPSC-derived neurons, mouse neurons, reprogramming. Potentially interested candidates may contact Christian Neri at christian.neri@inserm.fr

2021: Our paper "Shape deformation analysis reveals the temporal dynamics of cell-type-specific homeostatic and pathogenic responses to mutant huntingtin" is out in eLife. See https://elifesciences.org/articles/64984.

2019: EMBO workshop on Network inference and Machine learning: are you interested to know about the ideas, data, and perspectives in the field shared during this workshop? Here's the public summary!
EMBO NIBD2019 public summary We plan for a second edition, stay tuned.

2019: NEUROFRANCE symposium on exocytosis and extracellular vesicles in brain development, maintenance, and disease. Symposium supported by the Société des Neurosciences and co-supported by the Société de Biologie Cellulaire Française (SBCF) and Société Française de Microscopie. See https://www.professionalabstracts.com/nf2019/iplanner/#/grid

Our primary goal is to understand how the capacity of the brain cell systems to maintain function and resist neurodegenerative disease is regulated on molecular, cellular and inter-cellular levels, how this may fail to slow down the progression of neurodegenerative disease processes, and how these mechanisms may be re-instated for therapeutic purposes. We study these questions in Huntington's disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disease for which well-characterized models and highly dimensional datasets are available across species, and in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Our knowledge discovery model is based on the combined use of systems modeling, cell biology and clinical research.

To understand how neurodegenerative diseases and aging may work on a systems level, we developed BioGemix —a data integration framework based on innovative machine learning approaches for biological precision in the analysis of dimensional data— and we use it for basic research and clinical discovery purposes.

Experimental biology involves cellular models such as human iPSC-derived cells, and C. elegans genetics.

We access human disease cohort data through our network of collaborators.

We work with the European HD Network (EHDN), APHP, the Gerontopole Ile-de-France, Paris Region initiatives, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM and patient associations.

We promote a strategic model based on a multi-disciplinary and trans-sectorial approach to address the following questions:

• What are the most important compensatory mechanisms that are lost in the course of neurodegenerative disease processes? How to re-instate these mechanisms to prolonge compensation and delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as HD and AD?
• What are the factors allowing to predict the individual capacity for biological resilience in neurodegenerative disease and age-related stress? Along these lines, what are the molecular diagnosis and precision medicine markers allowing to predict the most likely course of neurodegenerative disease progression rate?