Symposium on Nanobodies and Neuroscience
Nanobodies consist of the variable domain of camelid single-chain antibodies (or VHH) and are a class of tiny antibody fragments that have gained significant attention in the field of biotechnology and medical research. Nanobodies offer several advantages over traditional antibodies, such as low cost, stability, and for some of them, passage to the brain, making them valuable tools for a wide range of applications in neurosciences. We are arranging a collaborative French-Norwegian scientific event on the development and use of nanobodies in neuroscience. The event is funded by the Åsgard Horizon mobility programme of the French Institute of Norway.
Main content
The symposium specifically focuses on the development of nanobody/VHH tools for structural and functional studies on therapeutical targets involved in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Topics and discussions will range from basic science to advanced applications. Participants will have specific expertise in nanobody screening and production, high-resolution structural biology, macromolecular modelling, artificial intelligence, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and behaviour. Specialists in these topics have been invited to present, including aspiring early-career scientists, in order to promote free brainstorming and creation of ideas and networks for future research. The goal of the symposium is to generate a strong, thematic, curiosity-driven collaborative network that is prepared to apply for joint funding in the future.
A draft programme for the symposium is given below.
Participation will be free of charge; please register here!.
In all sessions, the first scientific talk will be 30 min and the rest 15 min (including discussion).
session 1 - Nanobodies - tools for structural and functional bioscience
09:00-10:15 (chair: Petri Kursula)
Petri Kursula – welcome and introduction
Eric Reiter (Tours, France) – Development of VHH to target GPCRs and modulate their activities
Gabriela Ruiz Velarde (Bergen, Norway) – Nanobodies as tools for structural biology
Valeriia Kalienkova (Bergen, Norway) – Structural characterisation of nanobodies targeting Munc13-1
coffee break
session 2 - Molecular neuroscience - ARC and friends
10:30-11:45 (chair: Arne Raasakka)
Clive Bramham (Bergen, Norway) – Nanobodies targeting ARC: master regulator of neuronal plasticity
Ana Dudas (Tours, France) – The neomycin cassette impairs maternal and social behaviors in Arc KO mice
Anna Abrahamsen (Bergen, Norway) – Elucidating the cytonuclear shuttling of Arc using single-particle tracking
José Miguel Godoy Muñoz (Bergen, Norway) – Targeting the ARC ligand binding pocket with nanobodies
lunch break
session 3 - GPCRs and myelin proteins - frontiers and aims
12:30-13:45 (chair: Valeriia Kalienkova)
Lucie Pellissier (Tours, France) – Targeting selectively oxytocin receptor signalling efficiently improves social interaction in Fmr1 KO mice
Lisa Reinmuth (Bergen, Norway) – GPCRs as targets for functional nanobodies
Md Abdus Shukur Imran (Oulu, Finland) – Insights into myelin assembly and PMP22
Arne Raasakka (Bergen, Norway) – Nanobodies against the myelin enzyme CNPase as tools for structural and functional studies
Petri Kursula - Closing words
coffee break
executive meeting 14:15-15:00 (by invitation only)
dinner
A Symposium on Nanobodies and Neuroscience will be held at the Department of Biomedicine on April 24, 2025.
