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Main axes of research

Inflammation-driven biological processes such as wound-healing, fibrosis or carcinoma progression rely on the capacity of epithelial cells to acquire a mesenchymal phenotype (Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition; EMT) via genetic reprogramming. Involving also enhanced migration, this process strongly implicates the actin cytoskeleton, a dense meshwork of protein filaments undergoing rapid cycles of assembly and disassembly in cells. This dynamic structure defines the architecture of epithelial cells and participates in key cell processes like endocytosis, cytokinesis, cell migration and signalling. More recently, a nuclear function was identified for actin in the organisation of chromatin and gene expression. Since structural and functional alterations of the actin cytoskeleton are associated with EMT, this complex structure is a potential target for novel anti-cancer therapies.

We combine microscopy-based quantitative live cell imaging, biochemical and OMICS approaches with mathematical modelling 1) to gain an integrated view on the assembly of cytoskeleton structures in the context of the epithelial cell, 2) to understand how actin polymerization contributes to cell motility 3) In parallel, we investigate gene regulatory circuits including small non-coding microRNAs, which contribute to the regulation of epithelial cell plasticity. These approaches will allow unravelling the molecular bases of fundamental biological events which contribute to inflammation-based diseases.

Application domains

• Target discovery with applications in cancer
• Identification of biomarkers
• Biomedical molecular and cellular biotechnology
• Studying therapeutic compounds in cell culture
• Nutrition (permeability of epithelial layers)
• Transcriptome analysis (biostatistics)
• Mathematical modelling and analysis of biological systems
• Diagnostic tools
• Signalling pathways and gene regulatory networks

Current research projects

Major projects:

1) Systematic study of early stage gene regulatory networks including miRNA-orchestrated events, during carcinoma progression (FNR BIOSAN, UL internal and FLCC projects):

• Making use of complementary molecular cell biology, microarray-based and bioinformatics approaches, the project aims at identifying miRNA target genes with a key role in EMT and carcinoma progression
• Identification of novel biomarkers for breast carcinoma classification (please see patent application)

2) Investigation of the spatio-temporal regulation of the assembly of actin structures involved in cell migration and morphogenesis (UL internal project):

• A particular focus is given on LIM proteins, bi-functional sensors and integrators of the cellular environment
• Further development of microscopy-based methodologies for the evaluation of molecular kinetics in live cells and for the mathematical exploration of microscopy data 

Areas of competence

Life Sciences, health and biotechnology

Technology keywords

Biochemistry/Biophysics - Bioinformatics - Cellular and Molecular Biology - Cytology, Cancerology, Oncology - Diseases - Gene Expression, Proteom Research - Genetic Engineering - In vitro Testing, Trials