Bordeaux Region Aquitaine Initiative for Neuroscience Preparing the Future

BRAIN Bordeaux Region Aquitaine Initiative for Neuroscience Preparing the future

Higher education and research are the levers of new intelligent growth that is both sustainable and inclusive. This involves preparing a knowledge society that future generations will flourish in. The University of Bordeaux and its partners intend to respond to this challenge by developing a campus of excellence with international influence, joining research forces around high-level scientific pillars:

• neuroscience, • environment, • medical imaging, • archaeology, • cardiology, • laser optics, • public health, • digital technologies. A university’s • materials of the future, strength partly These priorities reflect the research strengths of the Bordeaux site whose comes through excellence is clearly recognised in terms of the standards applicable to the its research, discipline and its high international profile. the creation of Certifications by the French national “Investments for the Future” scheme knowledge that can in 2011 have strengthened this dynamic of ambitious multidisciplinary then be passed on projects. Today, these centres of excellence backed by innovative training and disseminated. offer great prospects for development, French research and the socio- economic world. The quest for excellence is thus at the heart of the development policy of the Bordeaux site. Through this remarkable dynamic, the University of Bordeaux intends to provide solutions to the challenges of our environment and pave the way for the society of tomorrow.

The Cluster BRAIN has played a decisive role in the emergence of collaborative transdisciplinary research projects between Bordeaux Neurocampus teams, in the creation of the Bordeaux School of Neuroscience and reinforcing a sense of belonging to a coherent community of international stature.

Daniel Choquet, director of the Cluster BRAIN BRAIN

Selected at the first stage of the “Investments for the Future” Scheme, BRAIN (Bordeaux Region Aquitaine Initiative for Neuroscience), directed by Daniel Choquet, strengthens neuroscience research in five transversal priority areas:

> Pathophysiological mechanisms and consequences of dynamic synapse organization > Integrative physiology of synapses and neural networks > Molecular bases of transition to addiction > Transversal pathophysiology and innovative therapeutics for ageing, memory and cognition > Transversal pathophysiology and innovative therapeutics for motor, sleep and attention disorders

BRAIN offers a boost to the Bordeaux Neurocampus teams in terms of: > Productivity and competitiveness by providing access to advanced technological infrastructures and facilities enabling the genesis of innovative, multidisciplinary and high-tech projects.

> Attractiveness and visibility through the creation of the Bordeaux School of Neuroscience, the reinforcement of international training courses and grants offered for international doctorate and post-doctorate applicants.

Daniel Choquet director of the Cluster BRAIN

Gouvernance Key figures Governance > The steering committee is representing the 60 collaborative projects launched research laboratories of the Cluster BRAIN. It meets every two months to discuss growth -fold increase in the number of publications in high 3 strategy and to decide on general guidelines. impact journals (IF >10) > The executive committee is composed of three Co-funding of 42 M€ deputy directors in charge of technology transfer, training and clinical relationships alongside the 235 permanent researchers out of 650 neuroscientists Neurocampus project coordinator. It handles BRAIN management on a daily basis through Claire Herzog, industrial partnerships 20 the project manager. > The external scientific committee is composed of highly qualified international scientists. It meets every two years, convened by the director, to discuss the Cluster’s global policy for the forthcoming years and appraise the annual scientific program. Our community

> Academics > International Bordeaux Neurocampus federates the Bordeaux Bordeaux Neurocampus teams currently develop neuroscience community. It is composed of a research collaborative initiatives with numerous international force of 650 persons within 6 institutes, a dozen of laboratories, some of which have taken on concrete technological facilities together with the Bordeaux form by becoming Associated International School of Neuroscience. Laboratories: • OptiNutriBrain, with Université Laval • France-Israel Laboratory of Neuroscience, with the > Industry Hebrew University of Jerusalem The research teams collaborate with some twenty • Cell Adhesion France-Singapore (CAFS), with the biotechnology, instrumentation and pharmaceutical National University of Singapore firms. The call for proposal on “applied research projects”, launched by BRAIN triggered the transfer Claire Herzog technology process by significantly financing two project manager of the Cluster BRAIN promising projects with a high economic impact.

Director: Christophe Mulle > IMN Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives Director: Erwan Bezard > Neurocentre Magendie Director: Pier Vincenzo Piazza > INCIA Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine > IINS Director: Jean-René Cazalets Institut Interdisplinaire de Neurosciences Director: Daniel Choquet > SANPSY Sommeil, Attention et Neuropsychiatrie > NutriNeuro Director: Pierre Philip Laboratoire de Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée Director: Sophie Layé BRAIN’s worldwide reach

About 20 neuroscience meetings have been organized in Bordeaux gathering between 100 and 400 participants, two thirds of whom were from abroad, thus considerably developing the international outreach of Bordeaux Neurocampus. To increase even more our visibility , we initiated a new series of conferences entitled “International Bordeaux Neurocampus BRAIN conferences”. They bring together top level international scientists for three days and allow young researchers to discuss with acknowledged experts in a different field every year.

The BRAIN cluster also participates in international meetings. For instance, it had a booth in 2014 in Milan for the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies meeting (FENS), every year at the SfN (Society for Neuroscience) together with the French Society for Neuroscience, etc…

The increase in international collaborative team ventures can be gauged by the number of articles whose authors have links with the international teams. It doubled between 2011 and 2014. © Bordeaux Neurocampus, Yves Deris Yves Neurocampus, © Bordeaux Cutting-edge research

Our scientific challenges

> To integrate molecular, system, behavioral and clinical levels in order to understand how the brain functions in normal and pathological conditions > To advance the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders and discover new, innovative, therapeutic approaches > To view the dynamics of brain functions

Our technology facilities

Ten technology facilities were chosen to be supported by the Cluster BRAIN after an in-house audit on their utilization rates and the degree of technological excellence of their service offerings. Our aim is to offer cutting-edge equipment and services to Bordeaux Neurocampus teams at preferential rates. The facilities involved are animal (rodents and primates) and genotyping services; molecular and cellular biology facilities (biochemistry, cell biology, transcriptome analysis, microdissection); an imaging facility labelled at the European level (the Bordeaux Imaging Center) and clinical facilities (movement analysis and neuropsychopharmacology). © Bordeaux Imaging Center Imaging © Bordeaux

Our projects

> Collaborative: they systematically associate two teams from two different institutes on the site > Ambitious, innovative and of excellence: they are selected after evaluation by the executive committee to meet certain criteria and in line with a rigorous, efficient and transparent process > Multi-disciplinary: they involve all Cluster’s areas of initiative (research, training and knowledge transfer) Ellemarije Altena, researcher at the SANPSY laboratory, coordinator of the SOMNET clinical research project

This project seeks to meet a major challenge in the field of public health (10% of the population is concerned), namely to discover how to distinguish between the various phenotypes of chronic insomnia in order to develop personalized and targeted therapies for these phenotypes of insomnia. SOMNET is based on an innovative approach using state-of-the-art neuroimaging tools (fMRls and EEG) and is aimed not only at improving the quality of nocturnal sleep but also to solve problems linked with daytime alertness. I was recruited by BRAIN’s Clinical Research Chair to set up my team in the SANPSY laboratory. The selection of my project at the call for clinical research projects by the BRAIN cluster has allowed me to carry out this collaborative project whilst becoming an integral part of

Laurent Groc, researcher at the Institut Interdisciplinaire de Neurosciences (IINS), coordinator of the “ExtraBrain” InterCluster research project

Researchers will be studying the largely unexplored role of the extracellular space in the regulation of brain function, using innovative multidisciplinary approaches, including nanotechnology and HD imaging in a prion model of Parkinson’s disease. The project launched by the BRAIN cluster gave the impetus for support by IdEx Bordeaux within the framework of InterCluster projects. Thanks to the fruitful synergy between teams, we have developed nano-imaging tools that will enable the study of the extracellular space within a neurobiological context. © Laurent Groc © Laurent

Christel Poujol, head of the photonics department at the Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC) facility

The BIC is a member of France Bio-Imaging, a national distributed infrastructure for life sciences, and participates to the European infrastructure EuroBioImaging. The BIC photonic department provides the scientific community with an array of instruments enabling imaging from single molecules to entire organs. The photonics department’s fields of expertise are ultra-high resolution techniques in photonic microscopy (STED, PALM and STORM microscopy). More generally, the BIC’s services offers include access to instruments, consultancy and user supervision from sample preparation to image acquisition and analysis for photonic and electronic microscopy. The BIC proposes a wide catalogue of training courses in all these areas. BRAIN funding has enabled us to recruit an engineer, has provided the co-funding necessary for the acquisition of a new microscope and has allowed us to offer preferential access rates to members of Bordeaux Neurocampus. © Christel Poujol © Christel Training of Excellence

Our goals

Modern neuroscience research requires very high- quality training to meet the technological and conceptual challenges posed by the sophistication of required approaches. Economically, the Focus: development of biotechnology pharmaceutics and informative technologies depends to a large The Bordeaux School extent on investment and on the creativity of young neuroscience researchers. The Cluster supports training of Neurosciences actors, especially through the Bordeaux School of Neuroscience, in order to train researchers of the future at all stages of their career, starting from master’s level The Bordeaux School of Neuroscience is a top in both public and private sectors. level fully-equipped technological laboratory exclusively dedicated to practical training in neuroscience research. Three-week advanced courses are organized under the aegis of European and international organizations Opportunities provided (“Cajal Advanced Courses”), 2- to 4-week sessions are also arranged throughout the year for master’s by BRAIN and doctorate students together with workshops for post-doctorate students, researchers and > Bridging the gap scholarships: BRAIN offers students engineers along with workshops focused on a competitive grant at the end of their thesis, providing more specific technical issues. Training courses them with the opportunity to complete their work for doctors, pharmaceutics and biotechnology and publish articles in high impact journals before professionals are also set up. They place emphasis continuing on their post-doctorate careers in top level on newly acquired knowledge in the area of international laboratories. research on nervous system disorders. All training courses are organized by ad hoc international (or domestic) pedagogical teams, > Support to the Neuroscience in Bordeaux Association each one taking charge of a particular course of (NBA): this association of neuroscience students in training, and will benefit from administrative, Bordeaux includes master’s and doctorate students logistical and technical support. The Bordeaux and former doctorate students. Its objectives: to School of Neuroscience is backed by the site’s facilitate the arrival of new students, to create an technological expertise and sets up its training inter-generational network to encourage inter-student schedule jointly with the various on-site facilities exchanges and to be the privileged contact for the (cellular and molecular imaging [BIC], in vivo university’s pedagogical committees. The students functional imaging [IBIO], functional genomics also contribute to the dissemination of knowledge in [CGFB], rodent behavior [OptoPath], human the field of neuroscience for the benefit of the general behavior and psychopharmacology [Genphass], public by organizing various events. virtual reality and movement analysis [PHENOVIRT and PAM]). Christophe Mulle, dean of Bordeaux Neurocampus and the Bordeaux School of Neuroscience

The Bordeaux School of Neuroscience has very close ties with the Cluster BRAIN. Indeed, all the school’s initial facilities, i.e. all the cellular and molecular biology units, the electrophysiology, imaging and behavioral units, in other words all that makes up a modern neuroscience research laboratory, was acquired thanks to cluster funding. The University of Bordeaux supports our work by offering us the benefits of modern premises. Thanks to these efforts, we are proud to have been able to sign a partnership agreement with FENS and IBRO within the framework of the CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Program. The first schools were inaugurated in the autumn of 2015 and were resoundingly successful thanks to the quality of training and the

Marine Chazalon, doctorate student at the Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives (IMN), laureate of the BRAIN 2015 ”PhD extension Grant”

The PhD extension grant of BRAIN was for me a great opportunity to increase the impact of my thesis, to learn new techniques (patch-clamp recordings from astrocytes, STED microscopy), thereby improving my skills and providing a multidisciplinary aspect to my research work. © Marine Chazalon

Marc Landry, ISIS coordinator, a master of the Erasmus + European program

The ISIS master is backed by the European-Mediterranean consortium ISIS run jointly by France (Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice), Spain (Valence), Italy (Turin), Lebanon (Beirut and Jounieh), Egypt and Morocco (Marrakech). It offers lecturers exchanges for research and training missions. Upon this project, the Universities of Cracow, Melbourne and Göteborg joined us and deliver lectures and offer training course venues. We are continuing along the path of development of the master’s degree this year with the set-up of high-performance communication tools, with interactivities, the sharing of

© Marc Landry © Marc documentation and virtual meeting rooms. Our flexibility in terms of organization and online access to the full array of teaching and training sessions make the ISIS master’s fully appropriate to lifelong training. Innovative companies

Research preparing for tomorrow’s markets

Within the context of a globalized economy, a massive targeted investment effort in research and innovation is the essential condition for competitiveness, for growth and to create jobs in our regions. BRAIN supports a fertile fabric of fundamental research in order to foster innovation and creativity and promote emerging projects. The Cluster makes technological innovation and business start-ups possible in fields as varied as chemistry, optical devices, microfluidics, pharmacology, virtual reality, etc.

Our major actions

> Call for applied research projects: the Cluster supports applied research projects whose potential economic impact is high. These projects include the discovery, development or optimization of innovative therapeutic or diagnostic products, together with the promotion of research resources dedicated to the discovery of new therapies or diagnosis tools (screening methods, for instance, in silico, cellular or animal models).

> Partnerships with knowledge transfer companies: BRAIN has close links with SATT Aquitaine Science Transfert, an organization that funds projects specialized in the sphere of medicine, competitiveness clusters, etc. Innovative companies

Pier-Vincenzo Piazza, researcher at NeuroCentre Magendie (NCM), “CannaPreg” research and knowledge transfer project

Effective treatments for cannabis induced disorders are critically needed. There are currently no advanced development programs for the treatment of cannabis abuse. Based on a recent discovery by the team revealing the unexpected role of the pregnenolone hormone in the addictive mechanisms of cannabis, this project is developing a new class of therapeutic molecules effective against cannabis dependence. The development of any new medicine is submitted to numerous, very expensive validation phases. Cluster’s assistance in co-funding our work helps us to keep the IP in the laboratory. © Inserm Patrick Delapierre Patrick © Inserm

Rémi Droller, member of Kurma Partners’ board of directors

Kurma Partners is a key European player in the financing of Innovation in Healthcare and Biotechnology, from pre-seed to growth capital, notably via strategic partnerships with prestigious European research and medical institutions. We have regular meetings with BRAIN teams whose international reputation as world-class researchers is a gauge of excellence for us. We are currently working on one of the projects drawn up by BRAIN and we are very hopeful for a successful outcome. © Gerry Hurkmans © Gerry Photo credits: BRAIN / university of Bordeaux, except for the cover: Fotolia - February 2016 - February Fotolia the cover: for except BRAIN of Bordeaux, / university credits: Photo www.otempora.com www.otempora.com

Contacts This document has been carried out with Daniel Choquet, director of the Cluster Claire Herzog, project manager financial support from the French National [email protected] [email protected] Research Agency (ANR) in the frame of the Investments for the future Scheme, within the For more information Cluster of Excellence BRAIN (ANR-10-LABX-43) brain.labex.u-bordeaux.fr