Research Topic
To date, the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains symptomatic, despite active research in this field and multiple avenues explored. The complex mechanisms underlying the disease remain poorly understood, which hinders the development of therapies. The project aims to investigate the role of cPLA2 in the neuroinflammatory, and neurodegenerative mechanisms at the origin of memory deficits characteristic of AD and to develop an innovant therapeutic peptide formulation capable of modulating this enzyme and crossing the blood-brain barrier. The trainee will participate in the study of cell signaling pathways involved in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration using cellular and mouse models and contribute to the characterization of the therapeutic strategy targeting cPLA2.
Main objectives:
- In vitro characterization of the target enzyme and associated molecular mechanisms.
- Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of the peptide formulation on in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models.
Missions:
- Participation in experiments performed in vitro and/or in vivo by using conventional laboratory techniques, e.g., cell cultures, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, TUNNEL, Western Blot, RTqPCR, proteomic studies
- Data analysis and contribution to the writing of scientific reports
Profile:
- Master’s student in Biomedical Sciences, Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy or related field, with a foundation in cellular and molecular biology and an interest in oncology and pharmacology.
- Skills in experimental science, scientific rigor and ethics, as well as critical thinking skills are expected.
Place of work:
- Department of Organic and Biomedical General Chemistry, Mendeleev Building, UMONS campus Plaine de Nimy
Mission duration:
- Minimum 3 months up to 12 months
- Start: 14/09/2026 (flexible date)
- End: 30/06/2027 (flexible date)