Résultats de recherche

Abstract Estrogens originating from human and animal excretion, as well as from anthropogenic sources such as cosmetics, plastics, pesticides, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, are among the most concerning endocrine-disrupting compounds in aquatic environments due to their potent estrogenic activity. While their effects on fish reproduction are well documented, their impact on development, particularly metamorphosis, remains poorly studied. This hormonal transition, mainly controlled by the thyroid axis, is essential for the shift from the larval to the juvenile stage in teleosts.The effects of two contraceptive estrogens on zebrafish (Danio rerio) metamorphosis were evaluated: 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic reference estrogen, and estetrol (E4), a natural estrogen recently introduced in a new combined oral contraceptive formulation. Continuous exposure from fertilization to the end of metamorphosis allowed the assessment of morphological changes, disruptions of the thyroid axis, and modifications of additional molecular pathways potentially involved in metamorphic regulation.EE2 induced significant delays and disturbances in metamorphosis, affecting both internal and external morphological traits, confirming its role as an endocrine disruptor of concern. In contrast, E4 did not cause any detectable morphological alterations even at concentrations far exceeding those expected in the environment, indicating a limited ecotoxicological risk. Molecular analyses showed that EE2 strongly affected thyroid signaling and energy metabolism during metamorphosis, whereas E4 induced only minor transcriptional and proteomic changes.This study provides the first evidence that EE2 can disrupt zebrafish metamorphosis and highlights the importance of including this developmental stage in ecotoxicological assessments. The results also suggest a larger environmental safety margin for E4, although further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms linking estrogen exposure to metamorphic regulation.JuryProf. Frederik DE LAENDER (UNamur), PrésidentProf. Patrick KESTEMONT (UNamur), SecrétaireDr Sébastien BAEKELANDT (UNamur)Dr Valérie CORNET (UNamur)Prof. Jean-Baptiste FINI (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris)Dr Marc MULLER (ULiège)Prof. Veerle DARRAS (KULeuven) 

Two talks will be held:Renato OLARTE HERNANDEZ from UNamur will talk about: "Second Quantization in Quantum Chemistry".He will be followed by the talk of Prof. Marc de WERGIFOSSE (UCLouvain) entitled "Natural Response Orbitals and the RespA Procedure". 

2025 theme: Stress and emotions in animals The purpose of the symposium aligns with the missions of BCLAS to promote the replacement, reduction and refinement of laboratory animal use by driving reflection, sharing information, providing education and support to the scientific community, authorities and public, in order to lead to an ethical, responsible and qualitative research enabling further improvement in human & animal health.

Charting the DNA methylome landscape in cancer, chronic disease and phenotype Abstract: Our team has developed some of the first pipelines for genome-scale DNA methylation analysis. Our work has revealed aberrant methylation and expression patterns in several cancer types and revealed new mechanism of epigenetic regulation in cancer cells. We are now applying cutting-edge whole genome scale DNA methylation analysis in tissues as well as well as in cell free DNA (epigenetic liquid biopsy) and epigenetic editing platforms to investigate clinically relevant biomedical questions in cancer (for example, methylation map of colorectal, prostate, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer patients). Our work in epigenetic editing has implication in revealing causal function and new epigenetic regulation. In this talk, I will present the key findings from some of our works over the years and also elaborate on some recent and future directions in understanding the role of DNA methylation events in cancer metastasis, early detection, and treatment monitoring in solid cancers and also in chronic diseases and phenotype. More information on the ILEE website

Abstract Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment and is currently administered to approximately half of all cancer patients. However, the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation on normal tissues represent a major limitation, as they restrict the dose that can be safely delivered to patients and, consequently, reduce the likelihood of effective tumor control. In this context, delivering radiation at ultra-high dose rates (UHDR, > 40 Gy/s) is gaining increasing attention due to its potential to spare healthy tissues surrounding the tumor and to prevent radiation-induced side effects, as compared to conventional dose rates (CONV, on the order of Gy/min).The mechanism underlying this protective effect—termed the FLASH effect—remains elusive, driving intensive research to elucidate the biological processes triggered by this type of irradiation.In vitro models offer a valuable tool to support this research, allowing for the efficient screening of various beam parameters and biological responses in a time- and cost-effective manner. In this study, multicellular tumor spheroids and normal cells were exposed to proton irradiation at UHDR to evaluate its effectiveness in controlling tumor growth and its cytotoxic impact on healthy tissues, respectively.We report that UHDR and CONV irradiation induced a comparable growth delay in 3D tumor spheroids, suggesting similar efficacy in tumor control. In normal cells, both dose rates induced similar levels of senescence; however, UHDR irradiation led to lower apoptosis induction at clinically relevant doses and early time points post-irradiation.Taken together, these findings further highlight the potential of UHDR irradiation to modulate the response of normal tissues while maintaining comparable tumor control.JuryProf. Thomas BALLIGAND (UNamur), PrésidentProf. Stéphane LUCAS (UNamur), SecrétaireProf. Carine MICHIELS (UNamur)Dr Sébastien PENNINCKX (Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles)Prof. Cristian FERNANDEZ (Université de Bern)Dr Rudi LABARBE (IBA)

Abstract Due to their unique chemical, physical and photophysical properties, organoboron compounds and in particular triarylboranes play a central role in chemistry and in catalysis. Trivalent neutral boron Lewis acids, which are planar trigonal species, have been shown to exhibit enhanced Lewis acidity and electrophilicities when constrained in a pyramidal trigonal environment. Within the context of the emerging area of geometrically constrained main-group elements, the fundamental experimental and computational investigations of the impact of structural deformation on the physicochemical properties and reactivity of borane derivatives is of interest. This thesis will explore successively the development of geometrically constrained intramolecular FLP and of cationic boron Lewis superacid based on the aza-boratriptycene scaffold, then the synthesis of pyramidalyzed electron-deficient borenium cation with tethered pyridine and NHC ligands embedded in the triptycene scaffold and will finally focus on chiral borenium cations as new Lewis acids. A collaborative work dealing with the combination of the strong 9-sulfonium-10-boratriptycene with hindered Lewis bases is finally performed for developing latent FLP. This work deepens our understanding of the synthesis of constrained boron Lewis acids species, a key step to develop new pyramidal boron Lewis superacids, deblocking new kinds of reactivity in main-group chemistry. For instance, electrophilic Csp2–H borylation reactions of electron-poor aromatics were observed, new unusual binding mode at weakly coordinating anions were discovered and encouraging steps were initiated for reaching new chiral boron-based Lewis acids, opening the path toward new horizons in main-group chemistry.JuryProf. Benoît CHAMPAGNE (UNamur), PrésidentProf. Guillaume BERIONNI (UNamur), SecrétaireProf. Olivier CHUZEL (Aix-Marseille Université)Prof. Raphaël ROBIETTE (UCLouvain)Prof. Stéphane VINCENT (UNamur)

La deadline d'inscription et de soumission pour les abstracts : 20 août 2025.  Plus d'infos sur le site internet de l'Institut NARILIS

Bienvenue à la 1ʳᵉ conférence MG-ERC Cette conférence, en lien avec les thématiques de recherche du département de chimie, a pour objectif de rassembler une centaine de chercheurs travaillant dans les domaines de la chimie des hétéroatomes, de la chimie de coordination, de la catalyse, et de la chimie inorganique. Elle présente une réelle nouveauté en Belgique en termes des domaines couverts, et va permettre aux participants de découvrir des nouveaux concepts, idées et tendances dans ces domaines de recherche récents en chimie. Voici la liste des conférenciers, qui sont des experts mondiaux dans leurs domainesDr. Daniël Broere (Utrecht University, Netherlands)Prof. Agnieszka Nowak-Król (Universität Würzburg, Germany)Dr. Antoine Simonneau (Université Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France)Prof. Dr. Sebastian Riedel (Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany)Dr. Arnaud Voituriez (Université Paris-Saclay, France)Prof. Dr. Alessandro Bismuto (Universität Bonn, Germany)Dr. Christian Hering-Junghans (Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse, Germany)Prof. Connie Lu (Universität Bonn, Germany)Prof. Simon Aldridge (University of Oxford, UK)Dr. Ghenwa Bouhadir (Université Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France)Prof. Dr. Viktoria Däschlein-Gessner (Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany)    Dr. Jennifer A. Garden (University of Edinburgh, UK)Prof. Muriel Hissler (Université de Rennes, France)Prof. Jean-François Paquin (Université de Laval, Canada) Plus d’informations et inscription

Soutenu par le programme Win4SpinOff du SPW Recherche, et portés par les Universités de Liège au sein du Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de masse (MSLab, Faculté des sciences), et de Namur, au sein du Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire du Cancer, (NARILIS, LBMC, Faculté de médecine), le projet VENOM2 explore le potentiel des peptides issus de venins animaux pour développer de nouvelles solutions diagnostiques et thérapeutiques en oncologie.

La découverte du nucléaire a marqué un tournant dans l’histoire de l’humanité. Aujourd’hui, parallèlement aux débats qui concernent sa place dans la production d’énergie et ses potentialités destructrices, le nucléaire continue d’être utilisé dans de multiples domaines, comme la recherche médicale et les thérapies contre le cancer. À l’UNamur, le nucléaire est ainsi au cœur du travail de biologistes, physiciens ou encore historiens de l’art.

L’Université de Namur et STÛV, entreprise namuroise spécialisée dans les solutions de chauffage au bois et aux pellets, célèbrent dix années d’une collaboration fructueuse. Ce partenariat, rendu possible grâce au SPW Recherche et plus particulièrement le programme Win4Doc, illustre l’importance des synergies entre le monde académique et industriel pour améliorer la compétitivité et répondre aux défis environnementaux.

À l’Université de Namur, une thèse menée par Fabian Delhalle, avec le soutien du SPW Recherche dans le cadre du programme Win4Doc, explore une piste innovante pour produire des protéines d’intérêt thérapeutique. En collaboration avec Bio-Sourcing et le Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques, ce projet vise à mieux comprendre les mécanismes de lactation chez la chèvre afin d’optimiser une production biopharmaceutique plus accessible, plus flexible et plus respectueuse de l’environnement.