A bioengineer, Louise Thines completed her dissertation in molecular and cellular biology at UCLouvain before continuing her research for three and a half years in Washington, D.C., in the United States. She then joined the University of Namur for a new postdoctoral fellowship in Professor Henri-François Renard’s laboratory, with support from MSCA funding.

In tissues, cells are constantly interacting with their neighbors and their environment. Certain proteins present in the cell membrane play a direct role in these interactions. This is the case with cell adhesion molecules, often referred to by the acronym CAMs.

These CAMs can be compared to tiny molecular Velcro fasteners that help keep cells in contact. They also play a role in transmitting signals into the cell and can influence the cell’s organization, movement, or interactions with neighboring cells. To control these interactions, the cell can add certain proteins to its membrane, move them, recycle them, or remove them. One of the mechanisms used to bring them into the cell is endocytosis.

CAMs play an important role in the ability of tissues to form, renew themselves, and repair themselves. During embryonic development or wound healing, for example, certain cells must modify their contacts with neighboring cells in order to change position and participate in tissue remodeling. By adjusting the adhesion molecules on their surfaces, they can strengthen certain contacts, loosen others, and become more mobile. This ability to modify intercellular adhesions is essential for the body’s normal functioning.

During the process of endocytosis, the cell membrane bulges around a molecule on its surface. It gradually forms a pit that eventually closes off inside the cell, taking the form of a small vesicle. 

Endocytosis can occur through several “pathways.” It’s a bit like a building with several types of doors operated by mechanisms that use different technologies. 

The best-characterized pathway today involves a protein called clathrin, which, thanks to its structure, causes the cell membrane to curve inward until a vesicle is formed. But not all molecules follow this route.In 2020, research by Henri-François Renard revealed another endocytosis pathway. This pathway operates independently of clathrin and involves, in particular, endophilin-A3 to facilitate the entry of adhesion molecules into the cell.

It is this mechanism—which is still not fully understood—that lies at the heart of Louise’s project.

Why is this so important? Because in certain cancers, tumor cells can lose their ability to adhere, gain greater migratory capacity, and invade neighboring tissues. This process contributes to the various stages that can lead to the formation of metastases. Understanding how CAMs are removed or maintained on the cell surface therefore also provides insight into certain mechanisms associated with tumor progression. Furthermore, certain viruses can use CAMs as “Velcro” by attaching to them to gain entry into our cells. Targeting the CAM entry point could therefore be a promising strategy for combating certain viral diseases.

Louise is trying to determine how this endocytosis pathway works at the molecular level. Which molecules are involved? How do they interact? What triggers the internalization of an adhesion molecule into the cell? What happens when one of the components involved in this mechanism is disrupted?

In particular, Louise is studying the “Velcro” protein CD166, a cell adhesion molecule (CAM) found on the surface of various cells.

To understand what is happening, Louise is working with human cancer cells grown in the laboratory.

She can modify the activity or abundance of proteins suspected of being involved in the mechanism, using genetic tools or chemical compounds. She then observes the consequences of these disruptions.

Microscopy plays a central role here. Using fluorescent markers, it becomes possible to visualize different proteins within the cells and track their location. Louise can thus simultaneously observe endophilin-A3 and the adhesion molecules that have been internalized into the cell’s cytoplasm.

The images serve not only to illustrate the experiment. They become data that the researcher can quantify and compare to determine whether an experimental modification accelerates, slows down, or disrupts endocytosis.

To better understand the mechanisms of this endocytosis pathway, Louise is also seeking to identify other proteins that may be involved in its function.

In collaboration with the University of Geneva, she is testing hundreds of chemical compounds capable of affecting various proteins within the cell. After each treatment, images are automatically captured under a microscope to observe whether the endocytosis process is altered. Most of the compounds tested will likely have no particular effect. But if one of them significantly slows down or disrupts the mechanism, it is the protein it targets that becomes particularly interesting: it could be involved, directly or indirectly, in this endocytosis pathway. Further analyses are then needed to verify its role. These compounds are thus valuable tools for research. By blocking a protein and observing the consequences on the cell, researchers can gradually understand its function.

Certain molecules capable of modulating this pathway could also, in the longer term, open up avenues for new therapeutic strategies. At this stage, however, these are not yet drugs: between the identification of an active compound in cell culture and the development of a treatment, many research steps remain necessary.

Beyond its potential applications, Louise Thines’s project touches on a fundamental question in cell biology.

Traditional models have long been used to describe a few major pathways that cells use to internalize molecules on their surface. The discovery and study of clathrin-independent mechanisms now reveal a more diverse landscape. Understanding this diversity provides deeper insight into how a cell continuously regulates its interface with its environment and adapts its behavior.

The MSCA funding enables Louise to continue this exploration, develop new experimental approaches, and strengthen international collaborations. The results are expected, in particular, to help clarify the functioning of this endocytosis pathway and to identify new molecules capable of modulating it.

In the Mekong Delta, aquaculture is increasingly facing the encroachment of saltwater into areas that are typically supplied with freshwater. This phenomenon, known as salinity intrusion, can make it more difficult to farm certain locally raised species. 

It is against this backdrop that the DIVERSAQUA project is being carried out, funded by ARES-CCI and coordinated by Professor Patrick Kestemont of UNamur and Professor Nguyen Thanh Phuong of Can Tho University. The project also involves the University of Liège. Its goal is to identify and better manage the farming of species capable of withstanding these changes in salinity. 

The researchers focused on Pangasius krempfi, known locally as ca bong lau or ca dua. This catfish is considered euryhaline, meaning it can live in waters with varying salinity levels. This characteristic makes it a particularly promising candidate for areas of the Mekong Delta that are increasingly affected by saltwater intrusion. 

The species also has other advantages: it can grow to a large size, its flesh is highly prized, and it has significant economic value. In the delta, it is found primarily in estuaries and coastal areas. Until now, however, its aquaculture has remained limited.  

After more than two years of work, the project teams succeeded in raising wild juvenile fish to adulthood in a closed-loop aquaculture system, where the water is filtered and reused. The mature fish were then induced to reproduce using hormones commonly used in aquaculture. The resulting larvae were recently reared in tanks until they reached the juvenile stage. Eventually, these animals could become the first fully domesticated broodstock of the species.

The goal is to gradually produce the juvenile fish needed for aquaculture without relying solely on wild populations. This would ensure a more consistent supply and allow for continued research into the commercial farming of the species. 

At the same time, researchers are also studying Pangasius krempfi’s ability to tolerate different salt concentrations. Several experiments are being conducted at various stages of its development—from the larval stage to the juvenile stage—to better understand its physiological responses and immune system. 

This research should help determine the conditions under which the species can be farmed and more accurately assess its potential in areas subject to saltwater intrusion. In the longer term, the DIVERSAQUA project aims to diversify the species farmed in the Mekong Delta and offer new solutions to aquaculturists facing the effects of climate change. The successful reproduction of Pangasius krempfi in captivity is therefore an important first step in this direction. The teams are now continuing their research with the goal of gaining a better understanding of the species and assessing the conditions necessary for its development on a larger scale. Congratulations to all the researchers involved in the DIVERSAQUA project, and especially to Professor Patrick Kestemont, who coordinates the project for UNamur!  

Pressure to publish, short-term funding, competition, and the precarious nature of early-career stages: Can these constraints push young researchers to prioritize “safer” projects at the expense of more original ideas? This is the central question of an international publication to which Eli Thoré, an assistant professor at the University of Namur, contributed.

Having been interested for several years in “metascience”—that is, the study of how science itself works—he participated in the discussions, the development of ideas, and the drafting and revision of the manuscript. The project, launched at the initiative of Phillip Haubrock in late 2025, led to numerous exchanges among the authors before it was finally published in *Nature Human Behaviour*. “The exchanges were very fruitful and, at first, quite chaotic!” says Eli Thoré.

To conduct their analysis, the authors compiled numerous studies on the workings of the academic world. Their conclusion is clear: scientific creativity is not merely an individual trait; it also depends on the conditions under which researchers work. 

Short-term funding, pressure to publish, emphasis on the number of articles or the prestige of journals, fierce competition for positions or funding… All these constraints can push researchers to prioritize projects whose results are easier to predict, at the expense of more original or risky ideas. 

This situation particularly affects early-career researchers. They often have less autonomy, and their future depends more heavily on upcoming publications, grant applications, or job opportunities. Taking a risk in one’s research can thus also become a risk to one’s career. 

The consequences can be significant. For example, a study cited in the publication shows that narrowly failing to secure key funding early in one’s career increases the risk of leaving academia by more than 10 percent. 

Eli Thoré himself acknowledges having felt this tension between creativity and the need to demonstrate in advance that a project will succeed. During his Ph.D., he became interested in the daily rhythms of animal behavior—similar to our sleep-wake cycle—and how they might modify the effects of environmental pollution. At the time, this line of inquiry was quite removed from his main research project.  Yet he decided to pursue it. Over time, this idea became a central focus of his research. “If I had limited myself to questions I already knew were safe and easy to justify, I might never have gotten here,” he explains.

The authors propose several approaches to create an environment more conducive to this kind of scientific risk-taking. These include: providing funding over longer periods, offering greater stability to early-career researchers, reducing certain administrative burdens, and revising the criteria used to evaluate a scientific career. 

The idea, in particular, is to no longer measure success solely through easily quantifiable indicators, such as the number of publications or the prestige of journals, but to give greater weight to originality, collaboration, perseverance, and scientific independence. The publication also emphasizes three essential conditions for creativity: time, autonomy, and the freedom to fail.

The paper therefore puts forward an idea that seems fairly simple on the surface: if we want researchers to be creative, we must give them the freedom to be so. This is a particularly important issue for young scientists, who will shape the future directions of research. Congratulations to Eli Thoré and all the researchers involved in this work on their publication in *Nature Human Behaviour*! 

Six researchers have been awarded doctoral fellowships to begin their doctoral dissertations: Rachel LAURON from the Faculty of Sciences; Océane WATELET, Vera NOVAK, Camille LAMBIET, Alionka WÉRENNE, and Théodore HARDY (who received his grant from ULB under a joint supervision arrangement with UNamur) from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. 

Researchers from Namur also achieved great success in securing research fellow grants. Seven of them received this postdoctoral funding. They are Eleonor CELORA, Nataliya PUCHENKINA, Jérémy ARTRU and Bernardino PITOCCHELLI from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters; Romain MERTENS from the Faculty of Law; and David TALUKDER and François WOITRIN from the Faculty of Economics, Management, and Communication at SciencesPo (EMCP). 

In addition, two permanent F.R.S.-FNRS researchers at UNamur have been promoted to Senior Researcher: Francesca CECCHET and Yves CAUDANO, both members of the Department of Physics and the NISM Institute. 

The Télévie call for proposals also enabled Marc HENNEQUART to secure funding to begin research aimed at identifying the metabolic determinants of the response to arginine deprivation in pancreatic and colorectal cancers. 

Congratulations to them!