\r\nRegistration link\r\n
![\"\"](\"https://www.epfl.ch/research/domains/synapsy-research-center/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Project-Poster-Sympo-Oct-7-2026.gif\")
\r\nThis symposium, taking place on October 7, 2026 on the EPFL campus, aims to connect two rapidly advancing fields that too often remain separated: resilience to life stress (allostasis, plasticity and adaptation across body systems) and resilience to cognitive decline (cognitive reserve, brain maintenance and mechanisms relevant to dementia risk).
\r\n
\r\nThe program will combine a 1-day Scientific Symposium with internationally leading invited speakers alongside talks from the EPFL community.
\r\n
\r\nThe symposium will be followed by an early-evening roundtable intended to engage the broader campus community, including colleagues from the University of Lausanne and beyond – this roundtable will be part of the 2026 EPFL Jours Santé program.\r\n
TBD
","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-08-06T14:16:55","last_modification_date":"2026-09-22T14:03:11","link_label":"Web Page","link_url":"https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/attila-losonczy-md-phd","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"SV 1717","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717","url_online_room":"https://epfl.zoom.us/j/64813563657","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Attila Losonczy, Columbia, US","organizer":"SV BMI Host: J. Priestley","contact":"brain_mind@epfl.ch","is_internal":"False","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":2,"fr_label":"Public averti","en_label":"Informed public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121378/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/9/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/19/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/88/?format=json"]},{"id":72369,"title":"Mechanical forces as long-range organizers of cellular physiology","slug":"mechanical-forces-as-long-range-organizers-of-cell","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/mechanical-forces-as-long-range-organizers-of-cell","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33626/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33626/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33626/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-16","end_date":"2026-10-16","start_time":"16:00:00","end_time":"16:45:00","description":"In migrating cells, the GTPase Rac organizes a protrusive front, whereas Rho organizes a contractile back, yet how these GTPases segregate remains unclear. We leverage optogenetics, mechanical perturbations, and modeling to reveal a mechanochemical long-range mutual activation between front and back polarity programs that complements their known local mutual inhibition. Rac-driven protrusions increase membrane tension, triggering mTORC2-dependent Rho activation at the opposite side of the cell. Conversely, Rho-mediated contractility induces cortical-flow regulation of phosphoinositide signaling, promoting distal Rac activation. Our findings demonstrate how the actin cortex and plasma membrane interact as an integrated mechanochemical system for long-range Rac-Rho patterning. Efficient migration also requires polarized organization of the cell interior, with organelle positioning increasingly recognized as a key determinant of cell movement. Yet how this organization is established remains unclear. Building on our mechanochemical framework, we now investigate how actin-generated forces position organelles during migration and how disruption of this intracellular organization contributes to disease.
\r\n
\r\nWebsite of the De Belly lab: https://cri.utsw.edu/faculty/henry-de-belly/
\r\n
\r\nThis is part of the Physics of Living Systems monthly symposium: https://pols.epfl.ch/physics-of-living-systems-seminars/monthly-symposium/
Lysosomes sit at the crossroads of cellular catabolism and quality control, where they must dismantle chemically diverse cargo while preserving their own integrity. I will discuss two discoveries that reveal how lysosomes solve these complementary challenges and how their failure creates disease vulnerabilities. First, I will describe Lysosomal Leucine Aminopeptidase (LyLAP), an enzyme specialized to processively degrade the hydrophobic α-helices of transmembrane proteins. LyLAP is highly expressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, where its loss causes hydrophobic peptides to accumulate, compromises lysosomal function, and ultimately leads to cancer cell death, revealing a potential vulnerability in tumors with elevated endocytic activity. I will then describe LASER, a damage-responsive protein assembly that couples lysosomal membrane injury to repair. At its core, the oligomeric protein TFG recognizes LC3/GABARAP proteins conjugated to damaged lysosomes and recruits the ESCRT machinery to restore membrane integrity. Neurodegenerative disease-associated mutations in TFG disrupt this process, linking defective lysosomal repair to human disease. Together, these findings reveal lysosomes as dynamic systems that coordinate cargo degradation with membrane surveillance and repair to maintain cellular homeostasis.
\r\n
\r\nMore about Dr. Aakriti Jain's lab at UTSW: https://aakritijainlab.com/
Triple S (Super Sandwich Seminar) will feature three speakers per week, each giving a 15-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A session.
","image_description":"","creation_date":"2026-08-19T11:41:26","last_modification_date":"2026-08-19T14:19:10","link_label":"","link_url":"","canceled":"False","cancel_reason":"","place_and_room":"SV 1717","url_place_and_room":"https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717","url_online_room":"","spoken_languages":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/spoken_languages/2/?format=json"],"speaker":"Lei Huang, Constam Lab; Nika Gorsek D'Angelo Lab; free slot","organizer":"Prof. Pierre Gönczy","contact":"Lisa Smith, ISREC Administrative Assistant","is_internal":"True","theme":"","vulgarization":{"id":2,"fr_label":"Public averti","en_label":"Informed public"},"registration":{"id":3,"fr_label":"Entrée libre","en_label":"Free"},"keywords":"Super Sandwich, cancer","file":null,"icalendar_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/export/121483/","category":{"id":1,"code":"CONF","fr_label":"Conférences - Séminaires","en_label":"Conferences - Seminars","activated":true},"academic_calendar_category":null,"domains":[],"mementos":["https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/1/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/6/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/8/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/9/?format=json","https://memento.epfl.ch/api/v1/mementos/26/?format=json"]},{"id":72462,"title":"EPFL BioEngineering Talks","slug":"epfl-bioengineering-talks-4","event_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/event/epfl-bioengineering-talks-4","visual_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33710/200x112.jpg","visual_large_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33710/720x405.jpg","visual_maxsize_url":"https://memento.epfl.ch/image/33710/max-size.jpg","lang":"en","start_date":"2026-10-19","end_date":"2026-10-19","start_time":"12:15:00","end_time":"13:15:00","description":"Weekly BioEngineering Talks (Lunch Provided)
\r\n
\r\nINVITED SPEAKERS:
\r\n
\r\nOrganic electrochemical transistors for enhanced potentiometric sensing of neurochemicals
\r\nDr. Emily Schafer, EPFL Laboratory of Chemical Nanotechnology
\r\nHost: Prof. Nako Nakatsuka
\r\n
\r\nFollowed by
\r\n
\r\nData-driven protein engineering for sensing and biosynthesis of new-to-nature thioesters
\r\nDr. Sebastian Barthel, EPFL Laboratory of Synthetic and Applied Microbiology
\r\nHost: Prof. Markus Jeschek
\r\n
\r\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\r\n
\r\nBioEngineering Talks mandatory EDBB Seminar Attendance (1st-Year PhD Students)\r\n
Weekly BioEngineering Talks ( Lunch Provided)
\r\n
\r\nINVITED SPEAKER:
\r\n
\r\nA full-stack viral toolkit for systems neuroscience
\r\nProf. Lief Fenno, University of Basel Biozentrum
\r\n
\r\nAbstract:
\r\n Understanding and manipulating neural circuits requires technologies enabling access to specific cells, manipulation of genome structure, and delivery of increasingly complex genetic programs. I will describe viral technologies developed by my group that address each of these challenges. These include INTRSECT, a Boolean viral targeting strategy for cell-type- and circuit-specific access; VESPA, a novel split-AAV platform that enables efficient reassembly and expression of genetic payloads too large for a single AAV; and CRISPR/Cas9-based strategies for precise, cell-type- and circuit-specific gene knockdown. Together, these tools form an integrated viral toolkit for programmable access to and manipulation of neural circuits across multiple levels of biological complexity.
\r\n
\r\nBio:
\r\nDr. Lief Fenno is a physician-scientist at The University of Texas at Austin and Dell Medical School. His research integrates systems neuroscience, synthetic biology, and bioengineering to develop genetic, viral, and neuromodulation technologies for programmable control of neural circuits in vivo. His laboratory develops molecular and viral platforms for selectively accessing and manipulating defined neural populations, alongside approaches for neural stimulation and emerging therapeutic applications. His work spans fundamental circuit neuroscience, neurotechnology, and the translation of biological tools to treatment of brain disorders. Dr. Fenno is also a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, Chair of the American Psychiatric Association Council on Addiction Psychiatry, and is active in commercial scientific translation and biotechnology innovation.
\r\n
\r\nSTUDENT SPEAKER:
\r\n
\r\nTBD
\r\n
\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------
\r\n
\r\nBioEngineering Talks mandatory EDBB Seminar Attendance (1st-Year PhD Students)\r\n