Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics

The Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Bioenergetics (LBFA) is situated at the UGA campus in St. Martin d’Hères/Gières. On about 3000 m² laboratory and office space, including its recent state-of-the-art research building “Xavier Leverve”, LBFA offers an ideal research environment for molecular and metabolic research in the field of bioenergetics. This includes facilities for proteomics/protein biochemistry, cell culture, metabolic analysis, imaging/cytometry and animal physiology.

describes the way energy is transformed within an organism from nutritional uptake to generation of ATP and cellular work. It is central to all fundamental biological processes and many human pathologies, including chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. Our ambition is to develop both fundamental and (pre)clinical projects to unveil bioenergetics in different organs and pathologies. Its final goal is to understand molecular mechanisms, develop preventive strategies, and propose diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Bad outcome in cancer mainly depends on the tumor’s capacity to migrate and invade, thus spreading in the body and forming metastasis (secondary tumors). Few cellular proteins can slow or prevent this process, the so-called metastasis suppressors.

is a promising therapeutic approach for sarcopenia and known to stimulate the highly energy-dependent protein synthesis in muscle. We show that citrulline stimulates protein synthesis under limiting conditions like amino acid deficiency or energy stress. This increase was not due to enhanced energy state (ATP/ADP ratio) or mitochondrial respiration, but to energetic rewiring that reallocates mitochondrial fuel to the protein synthesis machinery.

Energy availability is a crucial indicator of cellular health. Here we develop our genetically-encoded, fluorescent energy sensor AMPfret (Pelosse et al., Nature Communications 2019, 10:1038) into applications for cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

 

LBFA, through its recognized skills in energetic metabolism, is participating to the testing and follow-up of high-level young French bi-athletes. Physiological parameters including heart rate, oxygen consumption and lactate threshold have been determined in real conditions during an outdoor field test on roller-skis using mobile spirometry and indirect calorimetry device and lactate analyzer.