Strengthening Neuroscience Collaborations Between Grenoble and Sherbrooke

The visit highlighted several ongoing collaborations between the two institutions in the fields of neuroscience and medical imaging, while also opening up new opportunities for future cooperation.

Nervous System Regeneration: A Long-Standing Collaboration

Homaira Nawabi and Stéphane Belin, who lead the GIN teams “Central Nervous System: From Development to Regeneration” and “Translational Regulation in Physiological and Pathological Conditions” respectively, have been collaborating for several years with Benoit Laurent, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Functional Genomics at the University of Sherbrooke.

Together, the three researchers are working to identify the factors involved in neuronal regeneration. This collaboration notably led to Léa Ferreira completing a research internship at GIN as part of her Master's degree, before going on to pursue her PhD in Benoit Laurent's laboratory at the University of Sherbrooke.

The teams also secured a Discovery Horizons grant in 2024 and currently have several joint funding applications under review.

Innovative Imaging and Radiotherapy Approaches for Brain Tumors

Another flagship partnership involves the ADMIR team (Advanced Methods for Innovative Radiotherapy), led by Jean-François Adam and Camille Véry, and Martin Lepage’s laboratory in the Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences at the University of Sherbrooke.

The researchers are collaborating on multimodal imaging and the development of innovative radiotherapy approaches for the treatment of brain tumors. Their IMPRAISIV project (Multimodal Imaging for Innovative Radiotherapy Planning and In Vivo Monitoring) received support through the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region’s Pack Ambition Recherche program.

This collaboration is also supported by jointly supervised internships, researcher exchanges, and several projects currently under evaluation, including applications to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and a joint PhD supervision proposal submitted through Grenoble’s IDEX program.

Building Stronger Connections for the Future

The collaborations presented during the visit illustrate the complementarity of the expertise developed in Grenoble and Sherbrooke. Already engaged in several joint projects, researchers from both institutions intend to further strengthen these ties through new collaborative initiatives.

Discussions also explored additional areas for future cooperation, particularly in neuro-oncology, building on the work presented by François Berger on personalized medicine approaches for brain tumors.

“Beyond the scientific projects themselves, this partnership enables us to build lasting exchanges between researchers and students on both sides of the Atlantic,” concluded Emmanuel Barbier, Director of the Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience.