Targeting a preventative treatment for Parkinson’s disease: shining light on the microbiome to improve health and well-being
Supervision : Pr John Mitrofanis – L. Grenga
Localization : Laboratoire Innovations technologiques pour la Détection et le Diagnostic (LI2D), CEA-Marcoule, France
Topic of the study
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition with distinct motor signs and non-motor symptoms. The majority of diseased and dying cells lie deep in the brain, within a structure called the brainstem. Although there are treatments available that address the signs and symptoms, none stop the disease progression and the cells continue to die relentlessly. Further, there is no treatment that targets disease prevention; there are some suggested lifestyle changes, but nothing specific. Such a specific preventative treatment would be of immense value to the wider community, together with lessening the economic health burden considerably.
In this context, it has been shown recently that the microbiome – made up of microorganisms lying within the gastrointestinal system – is critical to the proper function and health of the brain. In Parkinson’s disease patients, the microbiome is severely abnormal and dysfunctional. In fact, many authors believe that the disease begins in the microbiome and spreads through the peripheral nerves to the brainstem; indeed, in many patients, the first symptoms are gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation. Hence, it stands to reason that a key target for the prevention of Parkinson’s disease would be the microbiome.
We already have initiated a preclinical study to develop photobiomodulation, the use of red to near infrared light on body tissue, as a preventative treatment for Parkinson’s disease by targeting the microbiome. Our rationale is based on two key recent findings showing that photobiomodulation improves; (1) the function and survival of the diseased cells in the brainstem and (2) the health of the microbiome. We will treat the abdomen of animals with photobiomodulation and examine the patterns of brain pathology, changes in motor behavior and the health of the microbiome. This preclinical study will provide us with a strong indication of whether photobiomodulation can be effective preventative measure in humans.
The project will generate an unprecedented longitudinal multi-omics dataset integrating metaproteomics, metagenomics, behavioralphenotyping and neuropathological analyses. This unique resource will enable the identification of microbiome-derived mechanisms associated with neuroprotection and provide critical preclinical evidence for the development of a safe, non-invasive and affordable preventative therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
Technical description
The postdoctoral researcher will lead the computational analysis, biological interpretation and multi-omics integration of large-scale longitudinal datasets generated within an interdisciplinary project investigating how photobiomodulation reshapes the gut microbiome to prevent Parkinson’s disease. By integrating metaproteomics, metagenomics, behavioral and neuropathological data, the project aims to uncover microbiome-driven mechanisms associated with neuroprotection.
The candidate will:
- Disseminate the findings through publications in high-impact journals and presentations at international conferences.
- Analyse longitudinal metaproteomics and metagenomics datasets collected from rodent and non-human primate models.
- Characterize microbiome taxonomic composition, functional activity and host-derived proteins using state-of-the-art metaproteomics workflows.
- Integrate omics data with behavioral assessments and neuropathological measurements to investigate microbiome–brain interactions
- Identify microbial pathways, host responses and host–microbiome interactions associated with photobiomodulation
Applicant
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in computational biology, systems biology, bioinformatics or a related discipline.
The ideal candidate will have:
- experience analysing LC-MS/MS proteomics, metaproteomics or other large-scale omics datasets
- experience with multivariate statistics and longitudinal data analysis
- strong programming skills in R and/or Python
- excellent communication and scientific writing skills
Experience in microbiome research, multi-omics data integration and host–microbiome interactions will be considered an advantage, as will a publication record in peer-reviewed journals.The successful candidate will join the ProGénoMix platform at Li2D-CEA Marcoule and work alongside internationally recognized experts in microbiome research, metaproteomics and computational biology. The project offers access to cutting-edge mass spectrometry technologies, extensive multi-omics datasets and a highly collaborative international environment.
Conditions
The candidate will have the opportunity to have an attractive 3-year post-doc grant.
Contact
Malvina Billères
+33681265418
malvina.billeres@cea.fr
