Principal Investigator: Professor Philip LAWRENCE
Disciplines involved: Biology; Biotechnology; Infectious Diseases; Microbiology/Virology; Immunology; Oncology; Biochemistry; Chemistry; Pharmacology; Bioinformatics/Molecular Interaction Modelling; Ethics
Topic and goals
This group’s research involves the use of biotechnologies to provide innovative solutions to health and environmental problems from a One Health perspective, integrating the study of microbial biodiversity and its various applications in relation to global health as a whole (humans, animals, ecosystems). Our research questions are mainly focused on three areas: the study of the impacts of environmental factors, including infectious diseases, on human health; the management of waste and by-products from bio-industries with a view to ecological transition and sustainable development; the modeling of peptide interactions via artificial and hybrid intelligence tools for the discovery of molecules with therapeutic potential (drug discovery).
Our principal research areas are:
- 1 - Infectiology, inflammation, cancer
- Study of risk factors for liver cancer in West Africa
- Study of the molecular and cellular interactions between viral and cellular proteins during HBV/HDV infection in the context of exposure to mycotoxins
- Study of the role of inflammation and programmed cell death in the development of cancer - 2 - Biotechnologies and green chemistry applied to natural resources
- Valorization of by-products/biomass from bio-industries by their transformation into value-added products (bioactive molecules, therapeutic or antimicrobial molecules, etc.)
- Study of microbial biodiversity and its various applications in relation to the environment - 3 - Systems biology and drug discovery
- Hybridization of viral evolutionary intelligence and AI for the discovery of molecules with therapeutic potential
Biosciences raise ethical questions that can change the direction of research. That is why, following UCLy’s tradition of cross-disciplinarity, the ‘Biotechnologies, Health and Ethics’ research group also works closely with ethicists and philosophers, within the group or at UCLy, or through contact with businesses, who carry out work related to the impact of biosciences, artificial intelligence and technologies on society, and particularly on the research community and on vulnerable populations.
Flagship project for 2025-2030: « From Biodiversity to Bedside and One Health applications » - From biodiversity to technological and therapeutic applications: Biotechnological innovation for health and the environment.
Whilst the idea that everything is connected helps to highlight the interdependence of the systems around us, this realisation also brings home the fact that the vulnerabilities and inequalities within our societies and ecosystems are equally shared and interconnected. This paradigm is the very embodiment of the ‘One Health’ vision and philosophy.
Through this One Health lens, the theme ‘Vulnerabilities: Person-Environment’ of the Confluence Research Unit: Sciences and Humanities, takes on its full significance for the biosciences: the person – the human being, both an active agent and a biological entity; environments – our societies, our ecosystems, and our interactions and interdependencies with the living beings and the biosphere that surround us. At the heart of the One Health philosophy lie the holistic, dynamic and fluid interactions and challenges between societies, animals and ecosystems.
The changes and adaptations of some organisms act as selective pressures and forces on others. Nature’s remarkable capacity for adaptation, which is the source of biodiversity, can also be seen as a source of inspiration for science – and in particular for biotechnology – in addressing contemporary challenges.
This philosophy lies at the heart of our flagship project and our ambitions for 2025–30. Our aim is to offer solutions based on biotechnological innovation for health and the environment, drawing inspiration from nature’s resilience and biodiversity when developing technological and therapeutic applications.
This biomimetic approach enables us, for example, to:
- to regard the biodiversity of ecosystems and the remarkable plasticity of microorganisms as a source of innovation;
- to consider the ability of viruses to evolve and adapt in response to selective pressures, and to better infect and take control of the cells of host organisms, as a starting point for designing therapeutic molecules to target genetic and cellular diseases in more complex organisms, such as cancer;
- to draw inspiration from research into the interactions between soil organisms and plants in order to optimise and protect crops or to improve the sequestration of atmospheric carbon;
- to search for new molecules for therapeutic, cosmetic or agri-food applications in biomass and industrial plant waste, using more environmentally friendly approaches to support a circular bioeconomy and sustainable development.