About us


With the ultimate goal of translating molecular advances into novel therapeutic opportunities the MBD brings together 7 laboratories with complementary expertise that collaboratively focus on the following research themes:

1. Zebrafish development and diseases models (ZDDM): deciphering the molecular steps of pancreas formation, regeneration and carcinogenesis using the zebrafish as animal model, using a combination of transcriptomics (RNA sequencing or «RNAseq»), mutagenesis, and transgenesis.

2. Cancer signaling: investigating the role of tRNA modifications and optimization of codon decoding in shaping the proteome of tumor cells. The goal is to uncover novel crucial regulatory mechanisms supporting cancer cell adaptation and to identify novel therapeutic strategies.


3. Medical chemistry: studying the role of poorly characterized gene candidates, whose loss-of-function is associated with genetic disorders, in breast and intestinal malignancies through activation of specific signaling pathways.

4. Protein signaling and Interactions: studying the role of post-translational modifications and protein-protein interaction underlying protein « moonlighting » (proteins performing multiple autonomous and unrelated functions), and its role in health and disease including cancer.

5. Molecular Pharmacology: studying poorly characterized G protein coupled receptors (GPCR), through the identification of specific chemical probes able to modify specific GPCR functions in order to gain insigths into their biological role.

6. Functional genetics: using transgenic approaches to establish basic principles of pathophysiology in animal and man, as well as to define new targets  for innovative therapies and diagnosis. Particular focus on genes implicated in the control of inositol phosphates and  phosphoinositides metabolism and signalling.



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