The new name "Intégrité du Génome" ("Genome integrity"), given to our department that originates from the former UPR 9003, reveals our new intentions. We are studying mechanisms involved in the detection, signaling, and resolution of lesions that occur in the eukaryotic genome. Our department is involved in the "Cancéropôle Grand Est" project and contributes actively to one of the federative research projects entitled "Prognostic markers and therapeutical targets", a program with obvious connections between clinical and fundamental research.
The department "Intégrité du génome" is composed of three teams (more than 20 persons). Teams 1 and 2 result from the former group entitled "Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and cellular responses to genomic damages". These teams are interested in the structure and the function of the new poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) (team 2 headed by Valérie Schreiber) and in the development of animal and cellular models that are deficient in PARP activities and/or in certain protein partners involved in the maintenance of the genome stability (team 2 headed by Françoise Dantzer). Team 3, directed by Agnès Cordonnier, comes from the former group entitled "Mutagenesis, replication and DNA repair", and is interested in DNA replication and recombination in the presence of carcinogenic lesions.
Our scientific research project is based on an integrated program that involves molecular and structural biology as well as cell biology and animal models (KO mice). Many techniques required by our approach largely benefit from the vicinity of the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), and of the Institut Clinique de la Souris (ICS). Our department is financially supported by the Association pour la Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC), the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) and Électricité de France (EDF).
