For nearly fifteen years, Charlotte Beaudart has been researching the physiological aspects of aging, exploring themes such as sarcopenia, frailty and intrinsic capacities.

Thanks to her Start-Up Collen-Francqui mandate, she will now be able to devote more time to her research. Time that she wishes to use on the one hand to strengthen her presence in international and interdisciplinary collaborations, and on the other to explore new dimensions in her research on aging."I would like to explore research in the field of osteosarcopenia, defined by the combination of sarcopenia and osteoporosis."

Charlotte Beaudart defines the majority of her research as "patient-centered". Her wish is to take this approach a step further and thus "more fully take into account the patient's preferences in terms of therapeutic modalities to adapt management proposals and thus hope for better treatment initiation and adherence."

In the course of her career as a researcher, Charlotte Beaudart has also developed several methodological expertises, skills in biostatistics and meta-synthesis of scientific literature, which are transposable to numerous themes. "This has already led to numerous interdisciplinary collaborations, for example with UNamur's pharmacy department, but also with several clinicians working in hospitals in the Namur region," continues the scientist. This new mandate will also enable her to further develop this aspect of her research, notably by training her teams in these rigorous methods and strengthening her internal collaborations.

The liver is our body's largest internal organ and plays an essential role in many vital functions such as digestion and detoxification. As a result, although diseased, the liver is very well equipped to resist chemical agents sent into the body to treat it, such as chemotherapy. On the strength of his expertise in the field of multi-drug resistance in cancer, Professor Jean-Pierre Gillet, Director of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and the Laboratory of Molecular Cancer Biology at UNamur, is one of the linchpins of a new research project devoted to the resistance mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma conducted in collaboration with Drs. Lionel D'Hondt and Quentin Gilliaux, oncologists at the Medical Oncology Department of CHU UCL Namur - site de Godinne.

Olfactory receptors under the microscope

This project focuses on olfactory receptors, proteins localized in the membrane of sensory neurons in the nasal cavity, but which are also found expressed elsewhere in the body. Beyond their role in odor detection, these receptors have highly interesting properties in terms of treatment: they are, in fact, so-called "highly druggable " therapeutic targets, i.e. particularly receptive to small molecule drugs, but also to biological drugs such as, for example, antibodies. In other words, they are excellent candidates for the development of drugs that can bind to them effectively and modulate their function to produce the desired therapeutic effect. Based on the existing literature and Professor Gillet's previous work on liver cancer, the following question arose: would olfactory receptors be specifically expressed in liver tumors and, if so, play a role in their development and mechanisms of resistance to treatment?

To answer this question, an interdisciplinary collaboration was set up between various partners. The Biobank of the CHU UCL Namur in Godinne, which preserves tissue samples taken in particular during tumor removal, made it possible to build up a representative collection of healthy livers, diseased (cirrhotic) livers and liver tumor tissue. Messenger RNA was extracted from these three types of tissue, then sequenced (a method which identifies the genes expressed in the cells). Data analysis was then carried out at Namur Molecular Tech, a molecular biology technology platform located on the Godinne university site and directed by Dr Degosserie. This work led to the identification of six olfactory receptors specifically expressed in tumor cells, and hitherto little studied. They are therefore promising candidates for further investigation of the original hypothesis: deciphering the role of these receptors in the development of treatment-resistant liver tumors.

Support from Roche Belgium

Thanks to their joint expertise and the innovative nature of their research, UNamur and CHU UCL Namur - site de Godinne have been awarded a €50,000 grant to further explore the role of these six olfactory receptors. In collaboration with the CHU Research Laboratory and in particular Dr Morgane Canonne, the UNamur Cancer Molecular Biology Laboratory is currently developing in vitro models, such as organoids, or mini-organ, from liver tumor biopsies. These models will make it possible to test the biological role of olfactory receptors within the cell: does the expression of these receptors in tumor cells induce an increase in their proliferation or aggressiveness? Do they accelerate the generation of metastases in other tissues? Or, on the contrary, does a lack of activation of these receptors contribute to these mechanisms? Depending on the answers to these questions, it will be possible to assess whether these receptors constitute good therapeutic targets within the primary liver tumor, with a view to blocking its metastatic capacity or slowing its development. The ultimate aim is to test targeted treatments on cells from these models, with a view to developing therapeutic alternatives that will offer new hope for patients.

This article was published in the Fond Namur Université newsletter.

The project's ambition is to make science accessible to as many people as possible, especially high school students. The aim is clear: to demystify complex scientific concepts while offering young people a fascinating gateway to the world of research.

The idea behind "It's not Rocket Science" is simple but ambitious: each student duo must design a 2-minute popular science video that explains a space-related scientific concept or phenomenon. From a pool of 300 videos, the most convincing are selected to take part in a competition organized during Printemps des Sciences. High school students are invited to vote for the best video.

The objectives of this project are multiple: (1) to practice English in a concrete way , (2) to offer secondary school students a glimpse of what is achieved at university , (3) to discover interdisciplinarity and (4) to inspire young people to study science - why not at UNamur?

To meet this challenge, the finalist students are supported in the production of their videos by the team of English and subject teachers, by Confluent des Savoirs - UNamur's science popularization service - and by the Audio-Visual Service.

The competition's prize-giving event was marked by a highlight: a live audio connection with Donald Pettit, American astronaut, currently aboard the International Space Station. This privileged moment of exchange enabled the students and secondary school pupils in attendance to ask questions of the astronaut orbiting the Earth and learn more about life on board, the astronauts' journey and the challenges they face on a daily basis.

Following this exchange, the winners of the 2025 edition were presented with prizes donated by project partner EuroSpace Centre. Among the 7 finalist videos, the one made by Ella Cishahayo and Angelina Severino, students in biomedical sciences, won the competition.

The evening closed with a talk by Julie Henry, STEAM Project Manager at UNamur, on the challenge of attracting girls to scientific fields.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Quelles sont les principales difficultés rencontrées par les médecins généralistes dans les zones rurales ? Quels sont les freins à leur installation sur ces territoires ? Comment s’organisent les visites, les déplacements, la permanence des soins ou encore de la garde en milieu rural ? Quelles sont les nouvelles pratiques et comment sont exploitées les nouvelles technologies par les médecins généralistes ? C’est pour comprendre et répondre à une série de problématiques rencontrées par la première ligne de soins en zones rurales, que l’UNamur se dote d’un nouvel observatoire universitaire en médecine rurale.

Encadré par un comité de guidance multidisciplinaire composé de médecins généralistes et d’académiques dans le domaine de la pharmacie, de la psychologie et de la géographie de la santé, ce nouvel observatoire poursuivra trois missions principales :

• Comprendre les difficultés rencontrées par les médecins généralistes dans les zones rurales; 
• Proposer des pistes de solution réalistes et concrètes pour améliorer la situation de la médecine en zones rurales ;
• Donner la parole aux acteurs de la médecine rurale en créant une communauté académique et de soignants.

« Comprendre les réalités de terrain avec un maximum de nuances implique aussi de donner la parole à tous les acteurs de la médecine rurale sur le terrain. Ceux-ci seront sollicités à la fois dans le cadre d’enquêtes ; mais également lors de conférences et des tables rondes organisées dans le cadre de ce projet », précise le Docteur Dominique Henrion, chargé de cours au sein de la Faculté de médecine, et médecin généraliste.    L’observatoire sera donc aussi un lieu de dialogue entre l’ensemble des acteurs de la première ligne de soins (médecins, infirmières, pharmaciens…) et de formation continue pour les médecins généralistes.

Les résultats des travaux seront diffusés largement au travers de rapports et d'un mémorandum adressé à l’ensemble des acteurs, y compris politiques. Ils seront intégrés à la formation dispensée au sein du nouveau master de spécialisation en médecine générale (lire par ailleurs) qui s’ouvre à l’UNamur, en vue de préparer au mieux les futurs médecins généralistes et favoriser leur installation en zones rurales.

Une première étude est lancée : elle porte sur la définition de la médecine rurale en Belgique, et en particulier en Wallonie et l’identification des principales zones d’intérêt. Cette recherche sera menée au département de géographie de l’UNamur, sous la supervision de Catherine Linard experte en géographie de la santé et Directrice du Département de géographie de l’UNamur.

L’observatoire universitaire en médecine rurale propose un déploiement d’activités en 5 ans, entre 2023 et 2028 et sous réserve de financement. Lancé à l’automne 2023, il proposera une première table ronde l’automne 2024 et organisera deux conférences par an, chaque année entre 2024 et 2028. Une deuxième table ronde se tiendra en 2028.

Des rapports d’avancement seront régulièrement produits : deux rapports intermédiaires, en 2024 et en 2026 et un rapport final ainsi que le mémorandum en 2028.

Pour atteindre ses ambitions, l’observatoire universitaire en médecine rurale est à la recherche de soutiens et de partenaires désireux de s’engager à ses côtés pour apporter des solutions à une question majeure de santé publique. Une campagne de crowdfunding est lancée auprès de partenaires et du grand public. 100 % des fonds récoltés seront utilisés pour mener des recherches sur les problématiques spécifiques qui affectent la médecine rurale et y apporter des solutions.

« La médecine générale est un enjeu crucial de santé publique, qu’il semble indispensable d’aborder dès le démarrage de la formation des jeunes médecins. C’est la raison pour laquelle l’UNamur a été la première université francophone à intégrer un stage en médecine générale, obligatoire pour l’ensemble des étudiants dès la troisième année de bachelier », souligne le professeur Jean-Michel Dogné, Doyen de la Faculté de médecine de l’UNamur. 

La médecine générale vous intéresse ?  Découvrez toutes les informations sur ce master qui sera proposé dès septembre 2024.