General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-25-0420
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Life Sciences
Thesis topics
Trans-splicing gene therapy for Stargardt disease: construction of molecular and cellular tools to target ABCA4 gene mutations
Contract
Thèse
Job description
This project aims to develop an innovative therapeutic approach for Stargardt disease, a macular degeneration caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene. The strategy is based on SMaRT (Spliceosome-Mediated RNA Trans-splicing) technology, which enables mutation correction at the transcriptome level by replacing mutated exons of endogenous mRNA by trans-splicing with an exogenous RNA (PTM). Since the PTM contains only a part of the mRNA to be corrected, this approach can overcome the obstacle of the large size of the ABCA4 cDNA, which exceeds the carrying capacity of AAV vectors. The project will consist of several phases using molecular and cell biology techniques: construction of viral vectors for the expression of PTMs, production of cell lines to test the efficacy of binding domains (BD) to induce trans-splicing, and screening of BDs to optimize PTMs. Selected PTMs will then be tested in retinal organoids and animal models to demonstrate their therapeutic potential for the treatment of this genetic disease. As AAV is currently the most effective vector for retinal transduction, this project could open new therapeutic perspectives for Stargardt disease.
University / doctoral school
Signalisations et Réseaux Intégratifs en Biologie (BIO-SIGNE)
Paris-Saclay
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2025
Person to be contacted by the applicant
BEMELMANS Alexis
alexis.bemelmans@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/JACOB/MIRCen
MIRCen
18 route du Panorama
92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses
01 46 54 96 29
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
BEMELMANS Alexis
alexis.bemelmans@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/JACOB/MIRCen
MIRCen
18 route du Panorama
92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses
01 46 54 96 29
En savoir plus
https://jacob.cea.fr/drf/ifrancoisjacob/Pages/Departements/MIRCen/themes/interactions-cellulaires-modeles-biotherapies.aspx