Congratulations to three NARILIS PhD students for their awards at scientific meetings!

“Best oral presentation” for Thomas Jacqmin

at the International FOR2625 Symposium on Lysosomes & Autophagy in Berlin, Germany (6-7 June 2024)

With a master’s degree in biomedical sciences, Thomas Jacqmin joined the Laboratory of Intracellular Trafficking Biology (LBTI), led by Prof. Marielle Boonen, in September 2021. His doctoral thesis explores the disease mechanisms of spastic paraplegia 21, a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by limb spasticity and weakness. This hereditary condition is caused by mutations in the SPG21 gene, which encodes maspardin, a cytosolic protein recruited on lysosomes. Thomas aims to elucidate the previously unknown function of maspardin and understand how its loss leads to alterations in the endo-lysosomal pathway. His research findings pave the way for unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying spastic paraplegia 21 disease.

“Best poster prize” for Maxence Toussaint

at the Interuniversity PhD student day held at UCLouvain, Belgium (30 May 2024)

Maxence Toussaint started working at the Laboratory of Intracellular Trafficking Biology (LBTI) as a master student in biomedical sciences in 2018. Under the mentorship of Prof. Marielle Boonen, he completed his master’s thesis and then started a PhD thesis aimed at exploring the relationship between lysosomal dysfunction and cancer cell aggressiveness. Interestingly, BT549 is an aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cell line that exhibits features of a lysosomal storage defect. Maxence’s research has unveiled that this defect stems from a combination of mutations in both GNPTAB and TMEM251, which are genes that encode key players in lysosome biogenesis. His next steps will be to investigate whether and how these mutations affect breast cancer cell behavior.

“Best oral communication” for Eléa Denil

at the Congress of the French Society of Medical Mycology in Angers, France (3-5 June 2024)

Eléa Denil, who recently graduated with a master's degree in biomedical sciences, started a PhD thesis in January 2024. Her doctoral project is a continuation of her master's thesis work, conducted at the Cell and Tissue Laboratory (LabCeTi) under the supervision of Prof. Yves Poumay and Dr. Catherine Lambert de Rouvroit. Her research is focused on dermatophytosis, a fungal infection affecting keratinized structures such as hair, nails and the epidermis. Eléa’s objective is to explore the specific roles played by keratinocytes in initiating innate primary recognition of fungal invaders and triggering inflammatory and antimicrobial responses during epidermal infection by Trichophyton rubrum. To address these questions, she utilizes in vitro human models developed by the laboratory, which are based on cultured human primary or immortalized keratinocytes, either as monolayers or in reconstructed human epidermis. Prof. Jean-Pierre Gillet and Dr. Catherine Lambert de Rouvroit are the co-supervisors of this recently started thesis.