Molecules Webinar | The Chemical Biology Research in France

Name: Molecules Webinar | The Chemical Biology Research in France
Start: 2021-03-05T12:00:00
End: 2021-03-05T12:00:00

molecules, Organometallic Chemistry, Homogeneous Catalysis, Nickel Chemistry, Cascade Reactions, N–C Bonds

Webinar Information

3rd Molecules Webinar

The Chemical Biology Research in France

Chemistry at the interface of biology has played an important role in research in France since the end of the 19th century, with the discoveries made by Louis Pasteur and their application to medicine and biotechnology. Chemical Biology opens many possibilities to develop new cutting-edge technologies to understand biology, and discover, for example, new treatments for human diseases or new agronomical applications.
The chemical probes that are developed help to detect and follow biological macromolecules, events and organisms in living cells and animals, and constitute a valuable toolbox for detailed studies of biological processes. Notably, combined with a Medicinal Chemistry program, chemical probes can favour the emergence of drug candidates.
This Webinar will show two examples of the design and development of chemical reactions, and use of novel chemical probes, including functional fluorescent molecules and nanomaterials, for biosensing, imaging, diagnostics and drug-release applications.
The related Special Issue, Chemical Biology Research in France, which will be published by the open-access journal Molecules, will present some examples of novel developments of chemical tools and chemical probes that are ongoing in French laboratories, as well as their applications.

Dr. Paola Arimondo
CNRS Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique,
Institut Pasteur,
Paris, France

Date: 5 March 2021

Time: 1:00 pm CET

Webinar ID: 859 1520 0477

Webinar Secretariat: molecules.webinar@mdpi.com

Chair: Dr. Paola Arimondo

The following experts will present and talk:

Dr. Paola B. Arimondo, Institut Pasteur, France

Dr. Paola B. Arimondo studied Chemistry at the University of Pisa and received her Ph.D in Biophysics at the MNHN in Paris and her tesi di Perfezionamento in Chemistry at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy. In October 2001, Paola Arimondo was recruited by the CNRS, and she is now Director of Research at the Institut Pasteur-CNRS UMR3523. In 2011, Paola Arimondo was recruited to lead the Laboratory of Epigenetic Targeting of Cancer (ETaC) USR3388, a joint public–private laboratory between the CNRS and Pierre Fabre Laboratories, in Toulouse, France. In 2016, she was French overseas fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, UK, and she joined the Institut Pasteur in 2018, where she is currently head of the Epigenetic Chemical Biology unit and Director of the Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry. Her research focuses on the interactions between nucleic acids and proteins and their modulation by small chemical molecules. Initially, she developed a strategy to target a specific DNA site in a class of antitumor agents directed against human DNA topoisomerases I and II, resulting in site-specific “DNA scissors”. After a six-month sabbatical in 2005 at the University of California in Berkeley, she initiated a new project, developing an innovative chemical strategy aiming at the epigenetic control of gene expression in cancers. The chemical modulators of the epigenetic regulation are also used as probes to better understand the role of DNA and histone methylation in cancer and other human diseases and identify new targets or biomarkers. Paola B. Arimondo is co-author of 123 publications and 10 patents.

Dr. Frédéric Taran, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), France

Dr. Frédéric Taran is in charge of the department of organic chemistry (50 persons) at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), located at Saclay. Dr. Taran secured a PhD in chemistry at the Paris XI University under the supervision of Dr. Charles Mioskowski. In 1996, he moved to a post-doctoral position with Prof. Sir Derek Barton (Nobel Prize 1969) at Texas A&M University (USA), and then came back to CEA in 1998 as a permanent researcher. His research aims at developing new reagents for bioorthogonal chemistry to address important problems in the fields of bioconjugation, labelling, imaging and drug delivery.

Dr. Andrey Klymchenko,
University of Strasbourg, France

Dr. Andrey Klymchenko is a CNRS research director at the Laboratory of Bioimaging and Pathologies, University of Strasbourg, France. He received his PhD degree in 2003 from Kiev Taras Shevchenko University. After post-doctoral work at the University of Strasbourg and the Catholic University of Leuven, he joined CNRS at the University of Strasbourg in 2006. He was promoted to CNRS Research Director in 2014 and he has been an ERC Consolidator fellow since 2015. He is a leader of the “Nanochemistry and Bioimaging” group. He is a co-author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and co-inventor of nine patents. His research interests include functional fluorescent molecules and nanomaterials for biosensing, imaging and diagnostics.

Program

Speaker/Presentation	Time in CET
Dr. Paola Arimondo Chair Introduction	1:00 – 1:05 pm
Dr. Paola Arimondo Design and Applications of an Epigenetic Chemical Toolbox to Reprogram Cells	1:05 –1:30 pm
Dr. Frédéric Taran Bioorthogonal Reactions With Mesoionics	1:30 – 1:55 pm
Dr. Andrey Klymchenko Bright Fluorescence Light-up Probes for Biosensing and Bioimaging	1:55 - 2:20 pm
Q&A and Discussion	2:20 - 2:40 pm
Closing of Webinar Dr. Paola Arimondo	2:40 - 2:45 pm

Webinar Content

On Friday, 5 March 2021, MDPI and the Journal Molecules organized the 3rd webinar on Molecules, entitled "The Chemical Biology Research in France".

The introduction was held by the chair of the webinar, Dr. Paola Arimondo, Director of Research at the Institut Pasteur-CNRS. Her research focuses on the interactions between nucleic acids and proteins and their modulation by small chemical molecules. Initially, she developed a strategy to target a specific DNA site in a class of antitumor agents directed against human DNA topoisomerases I and II, resulting in site-specific “DNA scissors”. She also held the first presentation, which was entitled "Design and Applications of an Epigenetic Chemical Toolbox to Reprogram Cells".

The second presentation with the title "Bioorthogonal Reactions With Mesoionics" was held by Dr. Frédéric Taran. He is in charge of the department of organic chemistry at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), located at Saclay, France. His research aims at developing new reagents for bioorthogonal chemistry to address important problems in the fields of bioconjugation, labelling, imaging and drug delivery.

The third speaker of the webinar was Dr. Andrey Klymchenko. He s a CNRS research director at the Laboratory of Bioimaging and Pathologies, University of Strasbourg, France and his presentation was entitled "Bright Fluorescence Light-up Probes for Biosensing and Bioimaging". His research interests include functional fluorescent molecules and nanomaterials for biosensing, imaging and diagnostics.

Their presentations were followed by a Q&A and a discussion, moderated by the chair, Dr. Paola Arimondo. The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found here on Sciforum website. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on Molecules, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on “Subscribe” at the top of the page.

Relevant Special Issue

Special Issue in Molecules

The Chemical Biology Research in France
Guest Editor: Dr. Paola Arimondo
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2021