Welcome to the Thévenin Lab
Membrane biochemistry and targeted drug delivery
The research conducted in our
group lies at the interface of cell biology, chemistry,
biochemistry, and biophysics, with a particular focus on
problems in cancer drug delivery and membrane protein cell
signaling. As such, our work is applied, fundamental, and highly
interdisciplinary. Current research programs are organized
around two main areas:
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Developing novel strategies to specifically target and deliver therapeutics to cancer cells and tumors.
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Understanding how oligomerization affects membrane receptors activity and cell signaling.
More specifically, we are interested in the role of the transmembrane and juxtamembrane domains in this process. As such, our work is applied, fundamental, highly interdisciplinary, and draws upon areas such as peptide and protein chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular, cellular and structural biology, cell signaling, and oncology.
Ongoing projects are aimed at targeting and delivering potent cytotoxics and antimicrobial peptides to cancer cells using the pH(Low) Insertion Peptide, and at identifying the structural requirements for the dimerization of an understudied, but essential family of membrane receptors, the receptor protein-tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs).