General information
Reference : UMR5248-MATRAO-001
Workplace : PESSAC
Date of publication : Thursday, June 23, 2022
Scientific Responsible name : Matthieu Raoux
Type of Contract : PhD Student contract / Thesis offer
Contract Period : 36 months
Start date of the thesis : 1 September 2022
Proportion of work : Full time
Remuneration : 2 135,00 € gross monthly
Description of the thesis topic
Pancreatic islets, native micro-organs optimized by evolution through 0.5 billion years, are at the center of nutrient homeostasis and diabetes. They contain 4 cell types (α, β, γ, δ) operating in a network and constantly adapting their electrical activity and hormonal secretion to physiological needs. The precise physiology of their activity in nutrient homeostasis and its pathological deregulations are only partially understood.
The interdisciplinary and international FUN-NET ANR project aims to explore these aspects using new genetic mouse models (single or combined ablation of specific cells or of specific hormones) and human pseudo-islets of defined cell compositions generated by the group HERRERA (U Geneva), which also characterizes these models at the level of gene expression. The group Cell Biology & Biosensors (U Bordeaux) explores these models using extracellular electrophysiology (arrays of micro-electrodes in microfluidics, dynamic secretion assays, etc). The group RENAUD (Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique, INP) recreates in-silico the behavior of these different islet models and introduced them in an FDA-approved whole human body simulator (T1DMS) that reproduces glucose homeostasis.
The PhD student will join the group Cell Biology & Biosensors in Bordeaux and will be in charge of the in-vitro physiological analysis of islets and some in-vivo investigations in mice. He/she will interact with the Swiss partner (group Herrera) and with the INP partner (group Renaud).
Work Context
It is a transdisciplinary and international work between:
-The group Herrera (Geneva), recognized worldwide for its transgenic models permitting the ablation of specific cell types and/or hormones within the islets;
-The Cell Biology and Biosensors group of the CBMN Institute (U Bordeaux, CNRS) which explores the physiological and pathophysiological function of islets using unique extracellular electrophysiological tools combining arrays of micro-electrodes and secretion measurements in microfluidics. The thesis will be conducted in this group;
-The group RENAUD (Bordeaux INP) which models the behavior of the different types of islets in an FDA-approved human body simulator (T1DMS) reproducing nutrient homeostasis.
Constraints and risks
The motivated candidate will have a Master 2 Research or equivalent in biology (Cell Biology, Physiology / Pathophysiology, Molecular / Cellular Genetics, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Nutrition...) and must register at the Bordeaux SVS doctoral school. He/she should be strongly interested in collaborative, international and interdisciplinary projects. Mastering extracellular electrophysiology is a plus but not mandatory. We are used to training candidates when they start of their thesis. No specific risks or constraints.
Additional Information
Recent publications récentes :
Abarkan, M., Pirog, A., Mafilaza, D., Pathak, G., N'Kaoua, G., Puginier, E., O'Connor, R., Raoux, M., Donahue, M.J., Renaud, S., Lang, J. Vertical organic electrochemical transistors and electronics for low amplitude micro-organ signals. Adv Sci 2022 e2105211
Jaffredo, M., Bertin, E., Pirog, A., Puginier, E., Gaitan, J., Oucherif, S., Lebreton, F., Bosco, D., Catargi, B., Cattaert, D., Renaud, S., Lang, J., Raoux, M. Dynamic uni- and multicellular patterns encode biphasic activity in pancreatic islets. Diabetes 2021 70:878-888.
Olcomendy L, Pirog A, Lebreton F, Jaffredo M, Cassany L, Gucik Derigny D, Cieslak J, Henry D, Lang J, Catargi B, Raoux M, Bornat Y, Renaud S. Integrating an islet-based biosensor in the artificial pancreas:in silico proof-of-concept. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2021 doi:10.1109/TBME.2021.3109096
Abarkan, M; Gaitan, J; Lebreton, F; Perrier, R; Jaffredo, M; Mulle, C; Magnan, C; Raoux, M; Lang, J. The glutamate receptor GluK2 contributes to the regulation of glucose homeostasis and its deterioration during ageing Mol Metab, 2019, 30, 152-160
Perrier, R., A. Pirog, M. Jaffredo, J. Gaitan, B. Catargi, S. Renaud, M. Raoux*, and J. Lang*. Bioelectronic organ-based sensor for microfluidic real-time analysis of the demand in insulin. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2018. 117:253-259 *equal contribution
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