New Biopark course. The Biopark Charleroi Brussels South Newsletter. n 23 fall Immune system and cancer 2. Immunology : a robust sector 3

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1 C H A R L E R O I B R U S S E L S S O U T H The Biopark Charleroi Brussels South Newsletter n 23 fall 2014 New Biopark course Immune system and cancer 2 Immunology : a robust sector 3 Sifting masses of data 4 A closer look at the first neurons 5 The trypanosome's disguise 6 Membrane transporters 7 Streptococcus A 8 The people behind research 9 Surprising picture 10 Fluorescent microscopy 11 In brief 12

2 Using the immune system to fight cancer Mood I recently spoke to a doctor who asked me if the Biopark offered lifelong learning courses in mass computer processing of biological data: - No, sorry. Not yet. - Ah. That s a pity. You wouldn t believe how much time it could save us... he replied. Lifelong Learning at universities is a powerful tool to build new skills throughout life. To be credible, it must have a genuine real-world application, and be based on cutting edge skills that are often cross-disciplinary and constantly enriched by research. The University s contribution to society is also made through this type of training, and it is a way to provide society with the varied skills present within an entire university, and through its partners. Today, the course that the doctor enquired about features in our prospectus (see page 4). It was born of a joint effort between the ULB s Lifelong Learning Department, the Biopark, the Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (IB)², and the Biowin cluster. We would like to thank everyone who shared their training needs with us, as well as our partners helping us to meet them through an innovative, dynamic prospectus tailored to the varied target audiences working within a single ecosystem. Arnaud Termonia, Head of Lifelong Learning at the ULB and Biopark Training. An immunology specialist, the Biopark has joined forces with Campus Erasme, soon to be home to the Cancéropôle, to develop and launch a cancer immunology event. Cancer specialists agree that we have reached a watershed in the treatment of cancer. Work stretching back years seeking to use the immune system to combat tumours is finally bearing its fruits. Proof of this came when cancer immunotherapy was voted scientific advance of the year in 2013 by the journal Science. It is predicted that immunotherapy will account for 60% of all cancer treatments within the next 10 years, and the Cancer immunotherapy course from Biopark Training (scheduled for launch in early 2015), forms part of this trend. The event will follow an original format, Erika Baus, scientific coordinator at Biopark Training, explains. It combines not only modules on general immunology and antitumour immunity, but also a symposium of international experts in cancer immunotherapy. The idea was to deliver these basic modules to build or refresh the skills of people who could then learn more from the talks by international experts. The symposium is intended to present the most promising immunotherapy strategies, as well as the clinical results obtained in Belgium and surrounding countries. As the event is aimed mainly at medical professionals, it seemed right to bring together two of the ULB s professional development training centres working in the biomedical sector together (Biopark Training and the Pole Santé Training Centre) to jointly organise the event, Erika Baus adds. PROMISING STRATEGIES Damiano Di Stazio Unlike other treatments, immunotherapy does not attack cancerous cells directly: it targets the immune system in order to more effectively eliminate the diseases. While the method cannot be said to work in all patients, it can extend their life, or even lead to remission in some cases. As an example, an important stage in the fight against cancer has already begun with Sipuleucel-T. It is a therapeutic vaccine whereby a formula of dendritic cells taken from the patient and then loaded with tumour antigens in the lab is injected into the patient to stimulate the antitumour response. 2 New Biopark course

3 Immunology: a robust sector With over 150 researchers (IMI, IBMM, ImmuneHealth) and 7 companies (Novasep, Univercells, MaSTherCell, DelphiGenetics, ITeos Therapeutics, Euroscreen, and ImmunXperts) working to develop the methods, tools, and products based around the immune system, the Biopark stands out as an expert in the vast field of immunology. Take two research labs - the Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI) and the Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine (IBMM) - add the ImmuneHealth collective vaccinology research centre, together with a liberal sprinkling of businesses working, from near or far, on immune system projects, and there you have the Biopark s cluster of excellence in Immuno Research. Another particularly interesting approach: checkpoint inhibitors. Here, the aim is to use monoclonal antibodies to target specific molecules in immune cells, thereby enabling them to attack cancer cells. The CTLA-4 molecule, for example, is responsible for inhibiting the activation of certain cells in the immune system (T-lymphocytes). By blocking this molecule with specific antibodies, the immune system is freed and can attack the tumour. Immunology has always been a tradition at the ULB, recounts Oberdan Leo, director of the Institute for Medical Immunology since What makes the ULB unique in the field of immunology, and what doubtless explains its current strong positioning, is the dual culture of its research teams that come from both the Faculty of Sciences and Faculty of Medicine, or that Michel Goldman, with support from Wallonia and GSK Vaccines was able to create an Institute for Medical Immunology focusing on vaccines and transplants, Oberdan Leo states, before continuing, The arrival of ImmuneHealth, Iteos Therapeutics and, more recently, ImmunXperts stands testament to the Biopark s excellence and appeal in this field, whether in terms of skills or the cutting edge facilities (for flow cytometry, for example) and infrastructure. In addition to the links forged with the new Erasme Cancéropôle (see page 2) that pools strengths on a university-wide basis, the Biopark is also seeking to develop a unique structure on the campus in coming months. The IMI, IBMM, ImmuneHealth, and the CER Groupe de Marloie have just submitted a joint project to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Oberdan Leo reveals. The aim is to create a federation of immunology laboratories where a variety of skills - in immunology, parasitology, virology, bacterial physiology, etc. - are already in place. Our research is focused mainly on the regulation of the immune response (animal model) and regulating gene expression in controlling the inflammatory response. Having consolidated the potential found on the campus and expanded its regional partnerships, the Biopark is continuing its policy of international expansion. Recent contact with various foreign companies and the potential arrival of a Swiss company in Gosselies are proof of this, explains Dominique Demonté, Director of the Biopark. In immunology, thanks to the academic and industrial critical mass on the Biopark and in the wider region, we are gradually becoming an attractive prospect for foreign companies. Damiano Di Stazio New Biopark course 3

4 Sifting masses of data In partnership with the Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels (IB)² and the ULB s Lifelong Learning Department, Biopark Training has launched a new course focusing the analysis of large data sets. The course s outcome? To learn how to extract pertinent information from a critical mass of data in the Life Sciences field. At the time of writing, there are a range of applications for data mining, from the analysis of financial data to fraud detection, or even the study of biomedical data taken from NGS (see box). This means that there is a growing need for techniques that can effectively analyse the swathes of available data, and extract the most relevant information. From December 2014, this is exactly what the new Big Data Mining in Life Sciences course from Biopark Training and the Interuniversity of Bioinformatics in Brussels will seek to do. It is a cutting edge issue that is of interest to a great many academic and industrial researchers, explains Erika Baus, scientific coordinator and trainer at Biopark Training. The new course includes an introductory module that explores which data mining methods and technologies are available to life sciences today, and an advanced module on software such as R and Bioconductor. Those who complete the course will be able to use NGS: A REVOLUTION UNDERWAY! broadband molecular biology techniques to study genetic expression, locate biomarkers, or identify regulation networks. Damiano Di Stazio Biopark Training has also launched training cycle on Next Generation Sequencing, which will begin on 3 November. Traditional DNA sequencing (Sanger) was for a long time the most widespread sequencing method, explains Valérie Hertveldt, the scientific training coordinator, but new sequencing techniques (NGS) are quickly taking its place in a number of different applications. In spite of its many advantages (see table below), one major handicap with NGS is the need to work with (too) large volumes of data. Through this course, we want to provide all of the keys to succeed with proper NGS analysis. What is NGS? What needs to be considered before an experiment begins? How can we interpret the results without being a bioinformatics specialist? Our aim is to answer all of these questions by focusing on the medical sphere, and oncology in particular. Biopark Training can call upon the expertise of IPG and OncoDNA for this course. SEQUENCING THE HUMAN GENOME USING SANGER SEQUENCING VS. NGS Sanger Sequencing Next-Generation Sequencing Very long procedure: took 13 years Fast: takes just a few days (under 1 week) Cost: hundreds of thousands of euros Cost: around 3800 Requires thousands of scientists Needs no more than 5 people 4 New Biopark course

5 A closer look at the first neurons Two projects launched in the IBMM s Developmental Genetics Laboratory aim to better understand the role played by Dmrt3-5 transcription factors in the development of the cerebral cortex. A major integrating structure of the brain and command centre for cognitive function, the cerebral cortex is made up of hundreds of different neurons that radiate outwards in layers coated with cells with varying types of connections, and tangentially into areas with specific functions (motor, sensory, or cognitive). Development of the cerebral cortex depends on the timely generation of the right number of these different neural cells in the right place, before they establish connections and form operational networks. The IBMM s Developmental Genetics Laboratory recently demonstrated that the transcription factor Dmrt5 expressed in the cortical progenitors plays a critical role in the development of the cerebral cortex. In mice where the Dmrt5 gene was disabled, researchers led by Eric Bellefroid discovered that the first neurons produced during embryonic development, which form a layer of cells below the cerebral cortex known as the subplate, are practically missing. The following neurons that form the six layers of the cortex proper are, however, properly formed. The subplate is crucial in establishing cortical circuits and alterations to the subplate are understood to play a role in diseases such as schizophrenia and autism. WIENER ANSPACH FOUNDATION In partnership with a team in Oxford and with support from the Wiener Anspach Foundation, this autumn the Developmental Genetics Laboratory will begin a two-year research project to better understand the role of Dmrt5 in forming the subplate. We have shown that Dmrt5 is essential in forming these first cortical neurons. What we don t yet know is how it controls their production, Eric Bellefroid observes, So we are going to work to identify the target genes regulated by Dmrt5. Our colleagues in Oxford are subplate research specialists and will help us to better categorise subplate anomalies caused by the lack of Dmrt5. The research should help to better understand the genetic networks that control the generation of these cells that play a crucial role in cortical connections. FIRST INTERNATIONAL The laboratory has also secured three years of funding from the Wallonia First International which also focuses on Dmrt transcription factors in the development of the cerebral cortex. Entitled CORTEX, the project unites teams from the IBMM, Delphi Genetics (spinoff on the Biopark), a team from the Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam), and another from the National Institute for Medical Research (London). It is currently difficult to produce antibodies against transcription factors that can be used to identify their targets, but Delphi Genetics recently developed a technique that may make this easier, but that still needs to be approved for the type of protein we are looking at, Eric Bellefroid explains. By working with Delphi Genetics, we hope to obtain high quality antibodies for Dmrt3-5 factors, as well as to validate their immunisation technique. These antibodies are essential tools in understanding the physiological role of Dmrt3-5 factors and characterizing them as potential therapeutic targets in neurodevelopmental diseases. Nathalie Gobbe 5

6 The trypanosome s disguise, laid bare Trypanosome continually change their coating of proteins in order to escape the immune system. But researchers at the IBMM have just decoded part of how this mechanism works. The trypanosome is a master of camouflage! Transmitted by the tsetse fly and causing sleeping sickness in humans, the trypanosome can survive decades in its host s blood without being disturbed by the immune system. Its secret? Antigenic variation. The trypanosome has a coating of protective proteins, explains Luc Vanhamme, FNRS Director of Research at the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory (IBMM), But it changes its coat every week, to coincide with the time the immune system needs to produce antibodies. Constantly on the back foot, the immune system is unable fight and eliminate the parasite that travels unvanquished through its host. When we know that the DNA of a trypanosome contains 1500 different genes for these surface proteins, we know how it is able to remain in its host s bloodstream for up to 30 years, the researcher continues. Furthermore, it rules out the possibility of a vaccine: the protein changes too quickly. TWO HYPOTHESES Understanding this antigenic variation is therefore essential if we are to develop treatment for the illness. So how exactly does the trypanosome express a different protein each time? Researchers agree that the check is made when transcription occurs, when polymerase copy DNA into RNA. But two conflicting hypotheses have persisted for twenty years. The first suggests that the check occurs when transcription begins: the polymerase settles on a single, unique gene that corresponds to the expressed surface gene. The second hypothesis, which we have defended from the outset, Luc Van Hamme explains, is that the check takes place during elongation of the transcription: we thing that the polymerase attaches itself to all of the genes for the coating proteins. There it begins the process and synthesises small pieces of RNA, but is not quite able to synthesise a single, full, and operational piece of RNA. LOGIC AND HARD WORK And it is the latter hypothesis that Luc Vanhamme, Etienne Pays, and Ali Kassem, a Ph.D student in the lab, have been able to prove, in a study published in PNAS in June. For his thesis, Ali Kassem identified all of the RNA corresponding to the start of the known surface protein sequence. He then looked at which RNA were expressed in a single trypanosome. The thinking is quite simple, Luc Vanhamme picks up, if the check occurred at the beginning, the parasite would only express a single RNA. But if the check occurred during elongation, we would have several different RNA corresponding to the different proteins, as was the case in our study. The logic was simple, but the process was drawn out: It was a technical challenge, as we had to isolate and work on a single trypanosome to be sure that the detected RNA was expressed in a single parasite. At long last, this meticulous work put an end to a 20-year debate. Now, IBMM researchers are working to identify the elongation factor that helps the polymerase to express a single, unique RNA. A potential area for future study, and a new challenge for the thrill of the chase, Luc Van Hamme tells us. Natacha Jordens 6

7 Membrane transporters in focus For several years now, the Molecular Cell Physiology Laboratory (IBMM) has had an interest in how membrane transporters work. Two recent publications shed light on how these proteins are regulated using yeast as a model. Receptors, transporters... and more; the cells of our body react to their environment through membrane proteins present on the surface of the cell, and they are particularly dependent on these proteins to feed and absorb nutrients from their surroundings. That is one of several roles played by the amino acid transporters that we studied, Bruno André explains. Along with his team at the Molecular Cell Physiology Laboratory (IBMM) he is trying to clarify how they work and how they are regulated using yeast as a model. When a cell has sufficient amino acids, we know that some of these transporters are withdrawn from the membrane by endocytosis, and are then broken down. A few years ago, we showed that this process was triggered by ubiquitination: adding a type of label to the protein that is to be broken down. Proteins from the arrestin family play a role in this phase. Since then, we have been trying to understand the conditions that trigger endocytosis and the mechanisms that activate their arrestins to add this label. Their work led to two publications in recent months. STRESS IS ALSO A FACTOR Firstly, the study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in June showed that membrane transporters are also broken down when the cell is in stressful conditions. We think that it is a defence mechanism, Bruno André explains. In stressful conditions, the cell activates arrestins to eliminate some of its membrane transporters by ubiquitination. This allows the cell to recover amino acids to use in the adaptation process or to stockpile reserves. It is a general cellular response: we have seen that other types of transporters suffer the same fate. PROTEIN HARA-KIRI Another study published in Molecular and Cellular Biology in early September shows that amino acid transporters stimulate their own breakdown: Proteins commit hara-kiri as soon as they begin to catalyse the entry of amino acids into the cell. How can this rapid breakdown be explained? The Biological Membrane Function and Structure and Function of Biological Membrane Laboratory carried out further study by modelling the threedimensional structure of the transporters. We then discovered that the substrate bound to the transporter caused a change in conformation that displays the detection signal through arrestins, which triggers the mechanism. QED. Both teams are now trying to shed light on the details of this conformation change, and the researchers will also try to reproduce these studies using human cells. These processes tend to be well preserved throughout evolution, Bruno concludes, We therefore suspect that the conditions that trigger membrane transporter endocytosis and the agents involved in the process will be similar to those in yeast, but we now need to prove it. Natacha Jordens Modeling of the transporter studied by Bruno André and his team 7

8 Streptococcus A: from molecule to the clinic Carrying out post-doctoral research in Melbourne, Pierre Smeesters has made advances in streptococcus A by collaborating with a number of teams, including the Bacterial Genetics and Physiology Laboratory at the IBMM. 8 A scientific enigma, streptococcus A remains a major threat to public health: every year, this bacteria kills more than 500,000 people, mainly in developing countries. There is currently no vaccine that is effective against the multitude of bacterial strains, while the germ itself has been constantly growing for over 20 years. FIJIAN ISLANDS Paediatrician and IBMM researcher, Pierre Smeesters joined Melbourne s Murdoch Children s Research Institute in Melbourne, thanks in no small way to the ULB s international reputation. The Pacific region Fiji, New Zealand, New Caledonia is particularly afflicted by streptococcus A: Melbourne boasts a blood bank containing samples from infected children in Fiji, which is essential to Pierre Smeesters research. In late June, he also published an article in Clinical Infectious Diseases: for the first time, researchers had identified the main antigens in three countries of the Pacific region Australia, New Caledonia, and Fiji. A few weeks earlier, Pierre Smeesters penned another article in the official journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Journal of Infectious Diseases. This marked a new phase for the consortium of researchers and doctors from 31 countries that he formed and coordinates. We have experimentally approved a new classification of streptococcus A that is able to predict how virulent each strain may be. This classification paves the way to develop a vaccine effective against most strains around the world, which is of course our ultimate goal. The world-leading streptococcus A laboratory, the Center for Disease Control in the USA, is willing to use this classification, which is proof of how useful it is, Pierre Smeesters recounts. CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH Back at the ULB as of next spring, the researcher will continue working with his colleagues to complete the comprehensive mapping that should enable them to identify the components of a future vaccine, and he will be making a few Brussels-Melbourne round trips. My time in Australia has shown me that a crossdisciplinary approach to a single question is an asset. Here we have themed research institutes that have researchers and doctors from varied backgrounds working together, just as we have with our international consortium on streptococcus A; our approach that includes everything from the molecular level to the clinic has produced some outstanding advances and been published in leading scientific journals, Pierre Smeesters highlights. Nathalie Gobbe Pierre Smeesters works on the streptococcus A antigene in the Pacific region

9 The people behind research Over a dozen new researchers have joined the Biopark s research institutes in recent months. Some appointed to the University or the FNRS, others for doctoral or post-doctoral research. Among them are Viviana Lima Silva, from Uruguay, and Abdulkader Azouz from Syria. Hailing from Uruguay, Viviana Lima Silva began her post-doctoral research at the IMI a few months ago. My husband is also from South America and we moved to Thiméon, just a few minutes from the Biopark. I had been warned that I might get bored there! But not at all: I m happy to be living in the countryside after living in cities like New York, Jerusalem, Barcelona, and Vancouver. From my balcony I can see fields, cows, and the neighbouring farm: it s so nice. And then, you know, in Uruguay you can drive for 100 miles without seeing a house, the researcher enthusiastically adds. Aged 37, Viviana has travelled the world to follow her passion: research. After obtaining her bachelor s degree in Biochemistry at the Universidad de la Republica de Montevideo (Uruguay), she completed her dissertation at Rockfeller University in New York. The young woman then decided to continue her studies with a doctorate. She set off for Europe, and arrived at the University of Malaga, in Spain. Trained in the medical sector, in Malaga she learned about plant biotechnology, securing her Ph.D in It was, however, a difficult period: her future husband fell seriously ill. For many long weeks, doctors tried to provide a diagnosis through various different tests, but treatment was not forthcoming... Confronted with this illness, I realised just how crucial research was, and I decided to leave plant biotechnology behind and move back to the medical sector, she remembers. Her husband recovered, and Viviana began a master s in immunology at the University of Barcelona. The following year, she got her degree and returned to Uruguay, before a short stay in Canada to perfect my English, she explains, I was offered a place doing post-doctoral research in Saskatoon in Canada but I turned it down: in winter, there, it gets dark at 3 o clock in the afternoon! She finally decided to join Stanislas Goriely s team at the Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI) at the Biopark. EPIGENETICS Abdulkader Azouz also joined Stanislas Goriely s team at the IMI: on 1 September he begon his post-doctoral research on the epigenetic regulation of interleukin 12. I previously worked in cancer epigenetics in the UK, at Swansea University. It was interesting, and I also got to do a bit of teaching with MA and Ph.D students. I wanted to continue studying epigenetics, and subjects related to the methylation of DNA were appealing. I saw the IMI job ad in Nature Job and applied straight away, the 34 year old researcher explains. Originally from Syria, Abdulkader Azouz left his home country aged 23 to study a master, followed by a doctorate, at the Université Paris-Sud. He then secured a Marie Curie grant to travel to the UK, and will now be spending the next two years on the Biopark. First impressions? The business aspect of the Biopark is surprising, and interesting. In a few weeks, his wife and their new baby will be joining him in Charleroi. Nathalie Gobbe 9

10 Surprising picture This photo shows a valve in a termite s digestive system, and was taken by Benoît Host at the Evolutionary biology and Ecology Laboratory (ULB Faculty of Sciences), with assistance from Laure Twyffels (CMMI). The anatomy of the enteric valve varies greatly between species. We are now trying to see if there is any evolutionary convergence between species that though distant, have similar diets, she explains. Benoît Host originally came to use the electronic scanning microscope to observe the differences, and we placed a sample under the fluorescent microscope to see what we could see. And then came the surprise: the valve was naturally fluorescent. If creates a fantastic image! One of the images was chosen for the cover of the Journal of Microscopy, a leading publication in the field, last August.

11 Fluorescent microscopy: where art and science meet Laure Twyffels has been present on the Biopark for a few years now, and has become the campus expert on fluorescent microscopy, a technique that lets her work in a number of fields and share her expertise. She talks to Biopark news below. Versatility and diversity, these are what motivated Laure Twyffels, now a researcher at the Centre for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI). These watchwords are apparent in her expertise with fluorescent microscopes, her tool of choice: Fluorescent microscopy uses optics, chemistry, engineering, and even a bit of computing, for applications in biology, the young woman explains, I love this crossdisciplinary aspect. BACKGROUND From the very beginning of her studies, Laure Twyffels aimed for this diversity: I chose the bioengineer route as it was a cross-disciplinary course, with a range of future opportunities, she explains. With her sights set on research, Laure Twyffels then turned to the Molecular Biology of the Gene Laboratory, headed by Véronique Kruys at the IBMM, where she completed her dissertation and then a thesis on RNA connection proteins and how they were transported between the cell nucleus and cytoplasm. I knew that I was going to be trained in fluorescent microscopy: the CMMI had just acquired a microscope and it was the best technique to study how proteins travel. I sat a lot of courses, with either the manufacturer or in meetings. Gradually, Laure Twyffels became the Biopark s Madame Microscope, alongside David Perez-Morga for electronic microscopy. Sought out by Biopark Training, she also helps with training in microscopy. Giving classes in an auditorium forces me to regularly keep up to date with the theory so that I can easily repeat it for students, she explains, I feel like I am always getting to know my subject and tools better. CURIOSITY AND AESTHETICS Like a musician, Laure Twyffels orchestrates controls, lenses, and biochemical components to achieve the best possible image, a shot that is as informative as possible. I am still fascinated by seeing what we can t see naturally, with the naked eye. And the added bonus is that the result is sometimes really stunning!, she enthuses. Her contract with the CMMI, signed when she completed her thesis last year, brings her into contact with a variety of researchers and projects. In particular, she mentions a study on the digestive system of termites, a photograph of which made the cover of the Journal of Microscopy in August (see opposite), or a study of the immune system in newborns last year (above). In this To study the immune system of newborns, the researchers looked at where different lymphocytes were found in the ganglions of mice. study, we tried to understand why newborns don t respond to vaccines. In addition to measuring the abundance of different populations of lymphocytes, it was important to determine where they were located within the ganglions, and the only way to study it was with a microscope. It is a technique that can sometimes make a difference. The researcher hopes that she will be able to continue her microscopy career, to feed this curiosity. I ve been able to learn about a number of very different research subjects, and to make a contribution. This means that I can continue to get involved in everything, to be versatile, and to learn new things. And for this specialist in infinitely small images, this motivation is essential. Natacha Jordens 11

12 In brief ETIENNE PAYS WINS THE SANOFI-PASTEUR AWARD Etienne Pays (Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, IBMM) has just won the Sanofi-Pasteur Senior Award, with a prize of 125,000, for his many discoveries relating to trypanosomosis. The international panel cited the understanding of how the various ways that trypanosomes resist attack, as well as innate resistance mechanisms that humans use against some of these parasites. FIRST PATIENT TREATED WITH ALLOB In June, Bone Therapeutics announced that clinical trials of its cell therapy product, ALLOB, were officially underway: a first patient has been treated for a poorly healed fracture as part of Phase I/IIa of the clinical trial for the product. ALLOB is the first allogenic cell therapy product, made from osteoblasts from healthy donors. The first phases of the clinical trial are designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug over a 6 month period. In total, 32 patients with unhealed fractures will take part in the trials. HIV/AIDS: RECOGNITION FOR ONE OF OUR RESEARCHERS A researcher at the Molecular Virology Laboratory (IBMM), Gilles Darcis, received the IAS/ANRS Young Investigator Award for his research into reservoirs of the HIV-1 virus. The prize, awarded during the closing ceremony of the International AIDS Conference held in Melbourne in July, rewards researchers aged under 35 who have completed original, innovative, rational research into HIV. An aspiring clinical researcher at the FNRS, Gilles Darcis was chosen for his work on Synergistic activation of HIV-1 expression by compounds releasing active positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and by inducers of the NF-kB signaling pathway. STABYEXPRESS USED IN FOOD INDUSTRY StabyExpress technology, developed by Delphi Genetics, is destined for use in the food industry. TThe company, based on the Biopark, signed an agreement early this summer with a food company for the GMP manufacture of the enzymes needed for certain processes. Delphi Genetics has shown that its product can be used for any process that used E.Coli bacteria to create proteins, without using antibiotic resistant genes. C H A R L E R O I B R U S S E L S S O U T H Quartely publication Editor : Nathalie Gobbe Editorial Staff : Bruno André, Christelle De Beys, Dominique Demonté, Natacha Jordens, Véronique Kruys, Arnaud Termonia Sub-editor : Nancy Dath Photos : Bruno FAHY (partim) Lay-out : Céline Kerpelt Curlie Contact : ULB, Department of External Relations, Research Communication : ndath@ulb.ac.be, +32 (0)