Belgium

Nonlinear Physical Chemistry Group

The nonlinear physical chemistry group is devoted to the theoretical study of spatio-temporal dynamics of physico-chemical systems resulting from autocatalytic reactions coupled to transport processes (diffusion, convection) or phase transitions.

Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology

Temporal organization is a characteristic feature of all living systems. In the Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology, we focus on the molecular mechanisms responsible for oscillatory phenomena (biological rhythms). Rhythmic phenomena can be observed at all levels of biological organization, with periods ranging from 10-3 s to years. The molecular mechanisms responsible for these periodic processes generally involve various complex feedbacks and threshold phenomena which often defy an intuitive approach. In the Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology, we use mathematical models to elucidate the molecular bases of these rhythms. This theoretical approach, which is closely based on experimental data, contributes to a thorough understanding of the oscillatory phenomenon. Moreover, theoretical models lead to predictions which can in turn be tested experimentally. We also focus on other nonlinear phenomena related to oscillations that can be observed in biology, such as bursting, chaos, excitability (the ability of a system to amplify a suprathreshold perturbation), bistability (the coexistence between two stable steady states), and the spatial propagation of biochemical waves.

Theoretical and Computational Biology

Most biological regulatory systems involve complex networks of interactions. Theoretical modelling, together with simulations and computational approaches, provides a useful framework for integrating data and gaining insights into the dynamical and functional properties of such networks. In this perspective, a major aim of the research is to contribute to the understanding of how regulatory mechanisms at various scales (e.g. molecular, cellular and intercellular) act synergistically or competitively to achieve degrees of regulation not attainable by one mechanism alone. Key issues are the variety of attractors possible for a network, the nature of transition states and transition dynamics, and the role of the network in emergent behaviour. These issues are examined in terms of systems of differential equations, automata networks and probabilistic models.

Laboratory of Neurophysiology

The Laboratory of Neurophysiology (Faculty of Medicine - ULB) deals with the study of the nervous system physiology and physiopathology through an integrated approach allowing to go from the gene to the functions that it determines and from the individual synapse to the neuronal network. This approach combines the characterization of specific genes and the study of their functions by their invalidation or surexpression in animal models, the study of chemical neuromessengers functions and their interactions by using morphological techniques of functional neuroanatomy, the study of the modulation and plasticity of the neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission by using electrophysiological approaches and theoretical simulation, and behavioral analysis. In this line, five topics have been developed and are centered on: 1. the physiology of the basal ganglia system. 2. the cerebellar physiology. 3. the neurobiology of adult stem cells, from neural and mesenchymal origin 4. the enteric nervous system and interstitial cells of Cajal. 5. the dorsal horn of spinal cord.