Prof. Lluis Fajas Coll was born in Barcelona, Spain. He studied Biology at the University of Barcelona were he got his Master’s degree. He next moved to the Ernst Boehringer Institute in Vienna, Austria were he did his PhD studies. After two post-doctoral stages in France in the laboratory of Prof. Auwerx at Pasteur Institute in Lille and at the IGMM in Dr. Sardet lab in Montpellier he was recruited as Inserm associated scientist at the IGBMC in Strasbourg. He next was appointed as junior group leader with an Inserm Avenir grant in Montpellier. The main focus of his research has been the link between cell cycle regulation, proliferation and metabolism in the context of metabolic pathologies, such as obesity and diabetes and in the context of cancer.
Xavier Berney - Technician
Sarah Geller - Senior research assistant
Dr. Sarah Geller performed her master's and PhD. in France, in INSERM of Lille (Dr. Vincent Prévot group) and INRA-CNRS of Tours (Pr. Anne Duittoz and Dr. Yves Tillet group) respectively. She studied the role of glial cells (such as astrocytes and olfactory ensheathing cells) in the ontology (proliferation, differentiation, and maturation) of hypothalamic neurons which control reproductive function, named GnRH neurons. Then she was a post-doctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Luc Pellerin in Lausanne, where she explored the metabolism of hypothalamic neural cells (astrocytes, tanycytes, and GnRH neurons) and their involvement in metabolite sensing (glucose, lactate, and free fatty acids). Later she joined the group of Prof. Lluis Fajas in 2020 as a senior scientist. Her current studies explore the role of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) in regulating the endocrine hypothalamus. Her research aims to better understand the role of hypothalamic glial cells in regulating neuroendocrine functions of metabolism, reproduction, stress, and anxiety.
Jaime Lopez Alcala - Post-doctoral Fellow
Dorian Ziegler - Post-doctoral Fellow
Dorian studied cellular biology at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France. Early interested in investigating cellular senescence, a cell program involved in the age-related decline of tissues, he performed internship in Pr. Judith Campisi’s lab at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California. For his PhD, he joined the lab of Dr. David Bernard, at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL) to study the role of metabolic homeostasis in the regulation of cellular senescence. In 2021, he moved to Lausanne in the group of Pr. Luis Fajas, in order to dig deeper into the interplay between metabolism, senescence, cancer and aging.
Kanishka Parashar - PhD Student
Hello everyone!
I am Kanishka Parashar, a new PhD in the group of Prof. Lluis Fajas coll.
I come from India, where I did my Master’s degree in Biotechnology at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. For my master’s thesis project, I worked on the project to decipher the role of molecular motor protein Dynein subunits and their role in cell division (mitosis) progression at the Regional centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad India. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
I moved to Lausanne in March.
I am looking forward to getting to know you all.
Cheers!
Mélanie Faure - Post-doctoral Fellow
I am Mélanie Faure and I was in Belgium for the last seven years.
During my PhD (INRAE, France, 2016), I explored the impact of developmental exposure to metformin, an insulin sensitizer used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, on gonadal development and fertility.
Prompted by the realization that gonadal function is inseparable from brain function, I decided to deepen my understanding the central mechanisms involved in the control of female reproductive function. I joined the Charlotte Cornil team (GIGA-Neuroscience, Belgium), where I studied the role of membrane-initiated estrogens on signaling on the central control of reproduction. Estrogens act through nuclear receptors to modulate the transcription of target genes and through membrane initiated actions mediated by palmitoylation of the nuclear receptor. To test the role of mERα signaling in the regulation of the HPG axis, I characterized the response of C451A-ERα mice to protocols mimicking the negative and positive feedbacks of estrogens on LH secretion. I also took advantage of estetrol (E4), a natural estrogen only produced by the fetal human liver with the unique ability to activate the genomic actions of estrogens while blocking their effects initiated at the membrane, to test its effects on the negative and positive feedback of estrogens. In the process, I discovered that C451A-ERα females are actually able to become pregnant but lose their progeny in utero due to placental defects.
It's a new project focusing on the role of Cdk4 and glial cells that brings me to the CIG’s Fajas lab. It's a real pleasure for me to integrate the center and your university. I'll be very happy to exchange on science and share life moments. I'm a dynamic and enthusiastic person, and I personally enjoy spending time in nature, gardening and cooking.