![\"Programme](\"https://www.epfl.ch/campus/art-culture/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/LES_CULTURELLES_1920x1080_programme_complet.png\")
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThesis Director: Prof. N. Kavokine,
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 13424
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Thesis Director: Prof. K. Sivula,
\r\nChemistry and Chemical Engineering doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11708
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Modeling, slicing, rapid prototyping:
\r\nLearn to see your mechanical projects through to completion.
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.
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\r\nMore about Dr. Aakriti Jain's lab at UTSW: https://aakritijainlab.com/
Thesis Director: Prof. M. A. Ionescu,
\r\nMicrosystems and Microelectronics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11204
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
The Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT) has issued a call for proposals under its 2029-2032 Research Program to establish two Swiss regulatory toxicology flagship projects demonstrating how human-relevant New Approach Methodologies, mechanistic biomarkers, and integrated kinetics can support Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA).
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\r\nThe SCAHT research programme is focused on advancing applied toxicological research for regulatory use in areas of high concern to human health, with particular emphasis on female reproductive toxicity and chronic neurotoxicity with a focus on neurodegeneration.
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\r\nResearch areas
\r\n• Female Reproductive Toxicity Assessment
\r\n• Chronic Neurotoxicity Assessment with a Focus on Neurodegeneration
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\r\nWho can apply: Project lead must hold a position in research in a Swiss institution.
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\r\nFunding\r\n
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