The main research objective of the team is to study the role of hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems in the neurobiology of obesity and diabetes. The project that the successful candidate will carry out aims to investigate the central role of the 26RFa neuropeptide and its receptor GPR103 in hypothalamic neuropeptidergic networks involved in the control of energy and glucose homeostasis. In particular, using pharmacological, genetic and chemogenetic in vivo approaches, this research project will focus on the interaction of the 26RFa/GPR103 system with other hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems known to participate in the central regulation of energy homeostasis and the impact of their modulation in obesity associated with type 2 diabetes. Ex vivo and in vitro approaches are also commonly used in our team.

The candidate will perform stereotaxic surgery, in vivo metabolic assessments, molecular biology, and neuroanatomical analysis (IHC, RNAscope®, 3D iDISCO). This project is fully funded by an ANR (French National Research Agency) young researcher grant coordinated by Dr. Marie Picot within the RegPep team led by Dr. Nicolas Chartrel. The NorDiC lab has all the necessary facilities for the project, namely, expertise in molecular and cellular biology, functional genomics, pharmacology and integrative biology, and offers on-site access to platforms for mouse phenotyping, stereotactic surgery for AAV injection, 2D and 3D imaging techniques, metabolic studies (UMS HeRacLeS ; https://heracles.univ-rouen.fr/Site/index.php).