Bernard Thorens in Heidi News (July 2024)

https://www.heidi.news/explorations/minceur-sur-ordonnance/le-chercheur-suisse-solitaire-qui-a-force-la-serrure-de-la-minceur

Épisode N°5 Minceur sur ordonnance

Le chercheur suisse solitaire qui a forcé la serrure de la minceur

Si Boston et Copenhague ont découvert GLP-1, la molécule clé de la minceur, c’est un biologiste lausannois qui a cloné son récepteur, autrement dit la serrure qui actionne le travail des cellules. Bernard Thorens, immédiatement repéré par les Danois de Novo Nordisk, va ainsi débloquer la recherche pharmaceutique.

La suite sur : https://www.heidi.news/explorations/minceur-sur-ordonnance/le-chercheur-suisse-solitaire-qui-a-force-la-serrure-de-la-minceur

Prof. M.C. Gambetta was interviewed by UNIL “L’Actu magazine” on Aug. 2, 2023 about her recent discoveries

© Labo Gambetta, CIG-UNIL

Studying the neurons of flies, geneticists at UNIL have uncovered novel folds in DNA (shown here as colored threads): meta-loops. Specific regions (represented by wooden beads) on the DNA strand, despite being widely separated, interact with each other.

Link to the Cell publication: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00741-9
Read the publication’s abstract: http://www.genomyx.ch/cell-auth-group-gambetta/
Article in French: https://news.unil.ch/display/1690547156947

DNA resembles a strand of wool that, during development, twists upon itself to form a chromosome, a ball of yarn. Maria Cristina Gambetta’s team, an associate professor at the Center for Integrative Genomics (CIG) of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at UNIL, has discovered a new type of fold specifically within neurons. Referred to as a meta-loop, it involves loops that form when two specific regions far apart on the DNA strand – sometimes at the two ends of a chromosome – come into contact.

“Mammals, including mice and humans, possess analogous genetic architectures, but due to the complexity of these organisms, it has never been possible to determine the role played by these structures,” explains Maria Cristina Gambetta, lead author of the study published on August 2nd in Cell, conducted in collaboration with EPFL as well as Princeton and Warsaw Universities.

Using a simpler model – the vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster) – the team was able to demonstrate that meta-loops serve a specific function: they influence DNA reading during the development of the fly’s nervous system. By removing these genetic loops, researchers observed connectivity issues between the brain and muscles of the insects, leading to coordination difficulties and convulsions.

Genetic Partners Reunited

Meta-loops are remarkably large structures, with some of them reaching a length equivalent to about an eighth of the entire genome – at least in flies. No known DNA folding mechanism to date can explain their formation, but UNIL scientists have shown that at least a portion of them form when specific proteins bind to the DNA at the anchors (the two distant regions on the DNA strand that come into contact).

“The most remarkable and surprising aspect of the meta-loops we discovered is the specificity with which DNA at the two anchors interacts despite the enormous distances separating them on the genetic strand,” emphasizes the professor. Her research group is currently investigating how these distant attachments communicate to join together during the development of the nervous system.

“Meta-loops offer a completely new paradigm to explore, a novel path to tackle the challenging task of understanding DNA. The ball of the genetic thread is far from completely unraveled and has not finished revealing all its secrets,” concludes the researcher.

Prof. A.Reymond was interviewed for the Irish Medical Times and AZO Robotics newspapers as well as the Saludadiario.es website on June 12, 2023 about AI in the medical field.

Discover how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of rare inherited retinal diseases. A groundbreaking AI system, Eye2Gene, developed by researchers at University College London, surpasses human experts in accuracy, providing precise diagnoses from retinal scans and clinical data. With the potential to streamline the diagnostic process and ensure early intervention, AI offers hope for improved patient care in ophthalmology, as experts like Professor Alexandre Reymond acknowledge its ability to mitigate biases and expand access to diagnoses for all.

Read the IMT article: https://www.imt.ie/news/ai-outperforms-medical-experts-in-diagnosing-rare-eye-diseases-12-06-2023/

Read the AZO Robotics article: https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=14049

Read the Saludadiario.es article: https://www.saludadiario.es/investigacion/biomarcadores-en-sangre-e-informacion-genomica-para-predecir-enfermedades-comunes/

S.Croizier and P.Franken were mentioned in UNIL “L’Actu” web magazine regarding their recent awarding of SNSF funding, Apr. 2023

Congratulations to S.Croizier and P.Franken, who were both awarded a SNSF funding in April 2023;

Paul Franken‘s project is entitled «Lipids linking sleep pressure to sleep recovery»;

Sophie Croizier‘s project is entitled «Untangling the complexity of POMC neurocircuits: anatomic, genetic and functional perspectives».

Find here the list of the 20 UNIL awardees: https://news.unil.ch/display/1683034154219