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Thierry Galli, director (DU) |
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Elisabeth Davenas, the executive director (ED) |
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Diana Zala et Nicolas Ramoz, Coordinators in charge of Training and Communication (TCC) |
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Pierre Billuart and Pascale Varlet, Coordinators in charge of Translational Research (TRC) |
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Gwenaëlle Le Pen and David Tareste, Coordinators in charge of Technological Platforms (TPC) |
Scientific officer, Clara Martinez Rico
Team Leaders:
Alessandra Pierani, Anne Joutel, Belen Pardi, Catherine Oppenheim, Fani Koukouli, Gilles Huberfeld, Guillaume Van Niel, Guillaume Turc, María Cecilia Angulo, Marie-Odile Krebs, Philip Gorwood, Rebecca Piskorowski, Thierry Galli, Urs Böhm, et Zsolt Lenkei
Platform leaders:
David Tareste, Gwenaëlle Le Pen and Lydia Danglot
Permanent researchers: Pierre Billuart, Diana Zala, Pascale Varlet, Nicolas Ramoz, Gwenaëlle Le Pen, David Tareste, Boris Chaumette, Aude Marzo, Lydia Danglot
Non-permanent researchers (post-doc and students): Elisa Dziezuk, Baptiste Allain, Louis Barthe, Ivan Kortza
Technicians and engineers: Celia Espinoza, Ludivine Therreau, Nadège D'Araujo, Nicolas Lebrun, Sylvain Charron
The direction: Thierry Galli and Elisabeth Davenas
Le conseil consultatif scientifique international ou international Scientific Advisory Board (iSAB) conseille le Directeur et les tutelles de l'Unité sur sa stratégie scientifique et la sélection des chefs d'équipe. Il évalue la qualité de la recherche, l'organisation et la gestion de l'IPNP.
L'iSAB est composé de 6 scientifiques renommés dans le domaine de la psychiatrie et des neurosciences et travaillant hors de France. Trois des 6 membres de l'iSAB sont impliqués dans la recherche clinique et les trois autres membres le sont dans la recherche fondamentale.
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Prof. Volker Haucke, iSAB President, Full Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Freie Universität Berlin & Director at the Leibniz Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany. X (@VolkerHaucke) Key words: Neurotransmission, Cell signaling, Exo-endocytic Membrane Dynamics, Optical imaging, Neurodegeneration, Epilepsy |
Volker Haucke received his PhD summa cum laude in 1997 from the Biozententrum of the University of Basel, Switzerland, for his work on mitochondrial biogenesis in the group of Gottfried (Jeff) Schatz. Following postdoctoral work as a fellow of EMBO and the Human Frontier Science Program in the group of Pietro De Camilli at Yale University School of Medicine he started his own laboratory at the University of Göttingen. He was appointed as a full professor of biochemistry at the Freie Universiät Berlin in 2003. Since 2012 Volker Haucke is director at the Leibniz Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmacologie (FMP) and professor of molecular pharmacology at the Freie Universität Berlin and a member of the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence.
The focus of research in his laboratory is the dissection of the molecular mechanisms of endocytosis and endolysosomal membrane dynamics and its role in the nervous system with a focus on neurotransmission. The laboratory uses a wide range of technologies that include biochemical and cell biological approaches, electrophysiology, chemical biology, super-resolution and electron microscopy as well as genetic manipulations at the organismic level in vivo. The overarching goal of these studies is to mechanistically understand how exo-endocytosis and the endolysosomal system contribute to the development and maintenance of the nervous system function and how dysfunction may lead to neurological diseases. Among his major discoveries are the identification of novel lipid conversion mechanisms that control exo-endocytosis (1,2), nutrient signaling (3,4), lysosome function (5), and presynapse formation via axonal transport of a lysosome-related precursor organelle (6). His lab has identified important pathways for the control of neurotransmission by endocytic proteins (7-9) and by neuronal autophagy (10).
Prof. Haucke is a distinguished scientist whose contributions have been recognized by his election as a Member of the Academy of Europe (AE), German National Academy of Science Leopoldina, and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science (BBAW), by the Avanti Award of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) 2017, and the Feldberg Prize for Research in Physiology and Pharmacology 2020. Since 2014 he is also an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
Selected publications:
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Prof. Claudia Bagni, Full professor, Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland & Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. X (@BagniLab) Key words: Neurodevelopment, Synaptic Plasticity, mRNA Metabolism, Protein Homeostasis, Cytoskeleton Remodeling, Synaptopathies, Autism, Fragile X Syndrome, ASD-Like Behaviours |
Prof. Claudia Bagni completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. She carried out postdoctoral research at the CNRS in Toulouse, France, Harvard University, USA and EMBL, Germany. In 1998 she established her group as assistant professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, to continue from 2008 to 2016 as full professor and group leader at the K University of Leuven - VIB, Belgium. From 2016 to 2021 she has been the Director of the Department of Fundamental Neurosciences at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and became Vice-Dean research and innovation in 2021.
Her ultimate goal is to understand how the interplay between RNA metabolism and actin remodeling regulates synapse physiology, pathology and ultimately brain activity and behavior. She has a profound interest for certain synaptopathies such as fragile X syndrome and autism in which the recurring aspect is the dysregulation of the synaptic proteome. Her research group uses Drosophila melanogaster and mouse models to understand how deficits in synaptic molecular mechanisms ultimately affect different types of behaviors such as cognitive flexibility and social behavior. For a complete understanding of these complex pathologies she has long lasting collaborations with clinicians.
She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), and has received several national and international awards, including the UCB Award in 2014, the Solvay Price in 2016 by the Queen Elisabeth Medical Foundation (Belgium), in 2018 the Nestlé Research & Development Women in Science Award (Switzerland) and in 2023 she was nominated by the Italian President of the Italian Republic Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Cavaliere O.M.R.I).
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Prof. Gaia Novarino, Professor at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria. X (@gaianovarino) Key words: Genetics, Next Generation Sequencing, Genomics, Dna Sequencing, Genetic Analysis, Sequencing, Gene Expression, Transcriptomics, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Neurodevelopmental disorders, Autism, Epilepsy |
Gaia Novarino, an Italian native, obtained the Ph.D. in developmental biology from the University “La Sapienza” (Rome, Italy) in 2006. As a graduate student in Rome, she employed electrophysiology and cell biology techniques to study the role a putative chloride channel in microglia activation. In 2004 she moved to Germany where she joined the laboratory of Thomas Jentsch at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin, Germany). In the Jentsch’s lab she developed a project that contributed significantly to the understanding of the basic mechanism underlying Dent’s disease, an X-linked disorder caused by mutations in CLCN5. While in Thomas Jentsch’s lab, she also studied CLCN4, a chloride transporter associated with intellectual disability. Ever since she has developed a strong interest in studying neurological disorders.
In 2010 Gaia moved to San Diego (California, USA) where she joined the laboratory of Joseph J. Gleeson at UCSD. In the Gleeson’s lab she employed human genetics, functional and network analysis to identify and study novel genetic causes of epilepsy, autism and intellectual disability.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My main research interest is to identify and study genes underlying inherited forms of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy. Neurodevelopmental disorders affect millions of people, and are often refractory to treatments. The causes of these disorders remain unknown for the majority of cases. Of these, a significant number have a genetic basis and many causative genes remain to be identified. With DNA sequencing being more accessible, the genomes of many patients can be analyzed and more disease-causing genes will be recognized. Even though we predict that each identified gene may represent only a tiny fraction of the total genes involved in these disorders, studying the mechanisms underlying rare inherited forms of neurodevelopmental disorders can be extremely helpful. For instance, similarities among the function of genes implicated in autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy may point to a smaller number of pathways that are generally affected in neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, in my laboratory we are employing in vitro and in vitro models to study and compare a number of genetically defined forms of autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability.
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Prof. Jeroen Pasterkamp, Head Department of Translational Neuroscience & Scientific Director UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. X (@JeroenPasterk)
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Jeroen Pasterkamp obtained his PhD degree at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam with Joost Verhaagen and Dick Swaab. He carried out postdoctoral research at the Department of Neuroscience of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA. In 2005, he joined the Department of Translational Neuroscience of the UMC Utrecht, where he is currently appointed as a professor of translational neuroscience. He is chair of the UMC Utrecht Brain Center and head of the Department of Translational Neuroscience.
His research focuses on understanding 1) the signaling events and molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of neuronal connections during development, and 2) the molecular mechanisms underlying changes in or loss of neuronal connectivity during neurological disease (in particular amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)). This research concentrates on mouse models and humanized cell models (iPSC, organoids, microfluidics) using an integrated approach involving molecular biology, cell biology, neuroanatomy, (in vivo) functional proteomics, imaging, HC screening, and mouse genetics.
His work was published in leading journals such as Cell, Developmental Cell, Neuron, Nature, Nature Communications, and he regularly contributes reviews to Current Opinion, Trends and Nature Reviews journals.
Jeroen Pasterkamp is a recipient of a NARSAD Young Investigator, Dan Nathans Young Investigator Award, and HFSP Career Development Award. He received VENI, VIDI and VICI grants, and is co-leading the NWO Gravitation program BRAINSCAPES. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory board of the Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds and a board member of the Dutch Parkinson Scientists. He organizes scientific meetings under the framework of EMBO and Utrecht Summerschool series.
Research line:
Neural circuit development and Translational neuroscience
Most recent key publications:
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Prof. Paul Kenny, Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA X (@PaulKennyPhD)
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Paul J. Kenny, PhD, is Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Kenny also serves as the Director of the Drug Discovery Institute. His multidisciplinary research involves the study of behavioral paradigms, physiological analyses, and the molecular underpinnings of neurobehavioral disorders. Dr. Kenny is actively investigating the brains of rodents to uncover new signaling cascades that may play a role in addiction-like behaviors.
The Kenny Laboratory is focused on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of drug addiction, obesity and schizophrenia, with an emphasis on the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in these processes. They employ a multidisciplinary approach that includes complex behavioral paradigms, physiological analyses and molecular biological techniques. Current projects include the utilization of vector-based delivery systems to modify gene expression in the brains of rodents to identify novel signaling cascades that may play a role in addiction-like behaviors. Search PubMed for articles
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Prof. Josef Anrather, Professor, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI), Vice-Chair for Research of the BMRI, Weill Cornell, New York, NY, USA X (@WCM_BMRI)
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Regulation of post-ischemic inflammation in brain injury and repair
Inflammation is a central aspect in the pathophysiology of stroke, the third leading-cause of death and serious disability in US and western countries. Although numerous experimental studies based on immune modulatory therapies have shown promise, attempts to use such strategies in the clinic have not been successful. One of the main reasons is our poor understanding of the postischemic inflammation process. The inflammatory response is initiated during the early phase of ischemia by activation of intravascular immune cells and circulating humoral factors (e.g. complement system and coagulation cascade) as well as the vascular endothelium creating an environment that leads to blood brain barrier breakdown. Inflammatory molecules generated in the vasculature can consequently reach perivascular cells (i.e. perivascular macrophages, mast cells and glia limitans) resulting in an amplification of the inflammatory signals. This sets the stage for activation of microglia, the main brain-resident immune cell, and the infiltration of various blood born leukocytes, that play a crucial role in the development of the ischemic injury but may also contribute to the resolution of inflammation and postischemic tissue repair. Applying anti-inflammatory therapies that indiscriminately target both branches of the immune response might therefore not be successful.
One focus of our laboratory is to investigate how peripheral immune cells help to limit inflammatory tissue damage and contribute to the repair process.
Our laboratory also aims at understanding endogenous neuroprotection. The brain is equipped with a remarkable capacity to mount self-protective programs that are tuned to limit the deleterious effects of ischemia, commonly referred to as endogenous neuroprotection. These protective programs can be invoked by preconditioning (PC) stimuli that is the application of sublethal stressors, resulting in cerebral ischemic tolerance (CIT). In this research project we test the hypothesis that immune cells outside the brain play an essential role in establishing CIT and we investigate the molecular mechanisms that trigger this response.
The IPNP are truly grateful to these outgoing members for their help and support in the project of establishing the IPNP as a new research unit of international visibility in Psychiatry and Neuroscience research. It couldn’t have done it without their expertise and valuable opinions.
As mandated by the stakeholders, the unit has committees for prevention, animal research, computer and informatics networks, and technical staff.
Technological core facilities provide the unit with the most scientific efficiency by grouping equipments and/or services according to teams needs. All platforms are open to external scientists. Each platform has a user committee whose mission is to define the access policy to the platform, to inform users of the available services and to explore technological advances in order to offer the acquisition of new equipment.
The Animal Housing of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP) is a centralized, shared resource that provides rodent housing and breeding to its faculty and the research community at large.
The Animal Housing has a wide range of equipment, from the latest technologies in rodent breeding and animals are maintained in accordance with the applicable regulations.
Experienced staff performs all aspects of animal husbandry and assist researchers through provision of scientific and technical advice in the development of their scientific projects.
Objectives: Spatial and temporal approach by microscopy of the pathophysiology of neurons, glial cells, vascular networks and all their subcellular compartments.
Competence: NeurImag combines specific equipment photon microscopy combined with expertise the acquisition, treatment and quantification of morphological alterations in central nervous system dysfunctions.
Outlook: NeurImag is organized with a centralized management system that best responds to internal or external scientific projects (implementation of schedules, and procedures associated with remote data processing).
Objectives: The Phenotyping and behavioural exploration platform for rodents (Phenobrain) is one of the IPNP's technical platforms. Located in the animal house, it comprises two areas devoted to the study of behaviour, one in rats and the other in mice. There is also a department dedicated to surgery. This platform is a shared service for all the Institute's teams, but it is also open to scientific projects from outside research teams.
Competence: Phenobrain brings together specific state-of-the-art systems dedicated to behavioural phenotyping. The platform is equipped with a complete and innovative battery of tests, making it possible to explore a broad phenotypic spectrum such as spontaneous behaviour (locomotion, exploration), anxiety-type behaviour, social behaviour, communication and various cognitive functions (learning, memory, motivation, risk-taking, etc.) in the study models.
Outlook: Phenobrain offers a wide range of behavioural tests that can be used to support behavioural and surgical procedures for internal or external scientific projects.
The biochemistry and biophysics (B&B) facility is dedicated to the production, functionalization and analysis of recombinant proteins, as well as the characterization of protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions.
Proteins are produced in various organisms (e.g. bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells) and purified/functionalized with an ÄKTA Pure 25M system (GE Healthcare) equipped with various modes of liquid chromatography. Purified proteins are analyzed by electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and dynamic light scattering (Zetasizer Nano ZSP, Malvern Instrument) and their interaction with lipids or other proteins are characterized by preparative ultracentrifugation (e.g. liposome co-floatation assay) and spectroscopy (2 plates readers: Mithras LB 940, Berthold and Envision, Perkin Elmer). We also plan to acquire a circular dichroism (CD) system for structural studies and an isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) system for thermodynamics studies.
The Communications Office handles both internal and external communication by developing the CPN visibility and publishing relevant information to promote the CPN’s research teams. It organizes scientific events of the CPN and maintains information on the CPN's website, including the social media.
This division makes the implementation, the monitoring, and the control of budget lines of the CPN. The Financial Office aims to optimize financial management by providing assistance related to all the Intitute financial operations, including:
• A advisory role on issues with a financial implication.
• The settlement of the budgets.
• The financial analysis of expenses.
• The entry of the purchase requests.
• The processing of the orders.
• The breakdown and tracking of the financial accounts.
The Bureau of Human Resources Management ensures the staff recruitment process and organizes the reception of new recruits. It assists team leaders on staff recruitment and staff performance evaluations. This division provides information concerning the career development and all the aspects of human resources management.
The Bureau of Assignment Management assists staff with the booking of travel arrangements and manages orders for travel missions.
This division is comprised of seven members who are responsible for ensuring compliance with the recommendations presented by the Information Systems Division (ISD) in order to guarantee the quality of the servers and network services, managing the IT equipment, providing connection to networks and services and proposing projects for future infrastructure needs
This division plays a lead role in the oversight of the CPN’s infrastructure, which includes outside interventions.
It provides technical assistance support to the CPN teams and tenders technical follow-up of common facilities and equipment. It owns the responsibility for the operation of the Central Cold Plant as well as the management of renewal operations and the application of standards to comply with the latest regulations of hygiene and safety. Finally, this division contributes to the risk analysis and monitors the risk prevention policy.
The PAS supports the direction board in activities contributing to the realization of the CPN scientific objectives.
Its main goals are:
• to identify and communicate appropriate external funding opportunities (ANR, ERC, etc.) and to help the CPN researchers with the preparation and submission of grant proposals.
• to participate in the preparation of scientific evaluations such as those from the International Scientific Advisory Board (iSAB) of CPN, or the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES), etc.
• to coordinate the thematic discussion (GR) and work groups (GT) of CPN
• to develop and implement outreach activities to ensure communication and valorization of CPN research results (Website, etc.)
The inventory office coordinates stock transfers and advises the CPN staff of item selection. This division controls inventory levels, monitors the disposition of surplus property and lists articles for audit purposes.
The receptionist service monitors visitor access and maintains security awareness. It welcomes visitors and maintains visitor register. Reception receives deliveries and addresses incoming phone calls.
You can follow the IPNP on his Twitter or X account
