Life Sciences at Inovarion

Our research

With more than 250 projects conducted, the Inovarion research centre has built a diversified expertise. In this section, you will find examples of research projects covering the spectrum of theoretical and technical skills mastered by Inovarion's collaborators.

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Involvement of the inorganic phosphate transporter Pit1 in insulin signaling and metabolism

PiT1, initially identified as retrovirus receptor, is a transmembrane protein of the sodium-phosphate co-transporter family. PiT1 also has independent functions of its role as a phosphate transporter, notably on cell proliferation, adhesion or apoptosis. These observations suggest that interactions of PiT1 with other molecular partners may impact not only the homeostasis of inorganic phosphate, but also major biological functions. Thus, mice specifically invalidated for PiT1 in hepatocytes show a defect in weight gain over time compared to wild mice. Prof. Friedlander's lab has also shown that Moreover, PiT1-deficient mice were protected against high-fat-diet-induced obesity and diabetes.

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Study of the pathogenic mechanisms of autoimmune myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease caused by the presence of antibodies directed against components of the muscle membrane located at the neuromuscular junction. In the majority of cases, these are autoantibodies directed against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). The origin of the autoimmune response is not known, but thymic abnormalities and defective regulation of the immune system certainly play a major role in patients with anti-AChR antibodies. It has thus been shown that environmental contaminants may be involved in the induction of myasthenia gravis via deregulation of pro-inflammatory Th17 lymphocytes via their AhR receptor. In the MG thymus, the balance of the couple composed of regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) (anti-inflammatory) and Th17 lymphocytes plays an important role. Indeed, it has been suggested that the overexpression of cytokines IL-17 and IL-6 by Th17 could contribute to the maintenance of pathogenic inflammatory phenomena and to the production of autoantibodies.

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Development of a metabolic tracker for the real-time measurement of lipolysis from capillary blood

Diet and physical activity are key drivers of an individual's health status, however there is no way to assess their effects individually and in real time. There are therefore many generic solutions that aim to fight overweight and promote well-being through diet and physical activity. However, all of the proposed solutions do not take into account the genetic and metabolic specificities of individuals, two specificities that play a major role in an organism's response to diet or physical activity.

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