| Name of the laboratory | Clinical and Molecular Biology |
| Acronym | BioCliMol |
| LR Code | LR24ES15 |
| Director of the laboratory | Pr. Salima Ferchichi |
| Discipline | Biochemistry |
| Topic 1: Frequency, metabolic abnormalities and specific mutations of lysosomal storage diseases in Tunisia •Axis 1.1. : Frequency and distribution of lysosomal storage diseases in Tunisia: Study the incidence of these diseases at the national level and their geographical distribution, in relation to genetic and environmental factors. • Axis 1.2: Metabolic abnormalities associated with mucopolysaccharidoses and oligosaccharidoses: Analyze specific metabolic profiles and underlying mechanisms, with a focus on diagnostic biomarkers and clinical implications. • Axis 1. 3: Identification and comparison of genetic mutations specific to the Tunisian population: Identify mutations related to lysosomal storage diseases in the Tunisian population and compare them with those observed in other populations, highlighting local particularities. |
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| Name | Rank | Email addresses | |
| Project Chief | Salima Ferchichi | Professor | trimechesaly@yahoo.fr |
| Involved Researchers | Yosra Hasni | Professor | y.hasni@gmail.com |
| Amina Bouatay | Professor | amina bouatayamina@yahoo.fr | |
| Wael Bahia | Assistant Professor | bahiawael@gmail.com | |
| Nadia Leban | Assistant Professor | lebannadia@yahoo.fr | |
| Akram Alaya | Assistant Professor | akram_alaya@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Azza Dendana | Post-Doc | azzadandana@yahoo.fr | |
| Involved students | Nouhé Alimi | PhD student | Aliminouha12@gmail.com |
| Topic 2: Personalized therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: AI approach integrating molecular biomarkers, monoclonal antibodies, and antagomir • Axis I: Identification and validation of molecular biomarkers in metastatic colorectal cancer Study molecular biomarkers specific to metastatic colorectal cancer, such as genetic mutations, transcriptomic and proteomic alterations, in order to better understand their role in tumor progression and response to treatments. This approach includes the use of techniques like next generation sequencing and mass spectrometry to identify prognostic and theranostic molecular signatures. •Axis II: Application of artificial intelligence and design of decision support systems for treatment personalization Using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as neural networks and machine learning algorithms, to analyze complex biomolecular data from metastatic colorectal cancer. This approach allows for the prediction of individual therapeutic responses based on the molecular profiles of tumors. Moreover, the design of decision support systems, based on these analyses, would guide clinicians in choosing the most suitable treatment for each patient, thus optimizing therapeutic effectiveness and reducing the risks of ineffective treatments. • Axis III: Development of monoclonal antibodies targeting key molecular pathways. Explore the use of monoclonal antibodies to target specific molecular pathways involved in metastatic colorectal cancer progression, such as those related to growth receptor signaling and immune evasion. This work includes the identification of potential therapeutic targets and the optimization of monoclonal antibodies to improve the efficiency and specificity of treatment. • Axis IV: Role of antagomiR in modulating gene expression and controlling tumor progression Study the use of antagomiRs (microRNAs inhibitors) to target miRNAs involved in the regulation of metastatic progression of colorectal cancer. This therapeutic approach would restore altered genetic regulatory pathways and prevent resistance to treatments, offering a new path for personalized therapy. |
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| Name | Rank | Email adress | |
| Project Chief | Wael Bahia | Assistant Professor | |
| Involved Researchers | Salima Ferchichi | Professor | trimechesaly@yahoo.fr |
| Yosra Hasni | Professor | y.hasni@gmail.com | |
| Henda Chahed | Professor | hendchahed05@gmail.com | |
| Nadia Leban | Assistant Professor | lebannadia@yahoo.fr | |
| Akram Alaya | Assistant Professor | akram_alaya@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Ismael Soltani | Post-Doc | soltaniismael@yahoo.fr | |
| Azza Dendana | Post-Doc | azzadandana@yahoo.fr | |
| Involved Students | Nouhé Alimi | PhD student | Aliminouha12@gmail.com |
| Topic 3: Epigenetic factors and molecular biomarkers predictive of autism spectrum disorder • Axis 1: Study of epigenetic modifications associated with autism This axis explores the epigenetic mechanisms, in particular DNA methylation, histone modification and the action of non-coding RNAs, which could influence the expression of genes involved in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The objective is to identify characteristic epigenetic profiles of patients. • Axis 2: Identification of early molecular biomarkers It is about looking for detectable biomarkers (RNA, proteins, metabolites) in blood or other biological fluids, allowing early detection of ASD. The challenge is to facilitate diagnosis before the appearance of obvious clinical signs. • Axis 3: Correlation between environmental factors and epigenetic alterations This axis aims to study how environmental factors (pollutants, diet, prenatal stress) can induce epigenetic changes likely to modulate the risk of developing ASD. It highlights the gene-environment interaction. • Axis 4: Development of predictive bioinformatics models The objective is to build predictive models using multi-omics data (epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic) and artificial intelligence, in order to anticipate the probability of ASD in an individual. This paves the way for personalized medicine. |
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| Name | Rank | Email addresses | |
| Project Chief | Nadia Leban | Assistant Professor | |
| Involved Researchers | Salima Ferchichi | Professor | trimechesaly@yahoo.fr |
| Yosra Hasni | Professor | y.hasni@gmail.com | |
| Henda Chahed | Professor | hendchahed05@gmail.com | |
| Wael Bahia | Assistant Professor | bahiawael@gmail.com | |
| Akram Alaya | Assistant Professor | akram_alaya@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Ismael Soltani | Post-Doc | soltaniismael@yahoo.fr | |
| Sinda Slama | Post-Doc | slama.sinda@gmail.com | |
| Azza Dendana | Post-Doc | azzadandana@yahoo.fr | |
| Involved Students | Malek Dargouthi | PhD student | malekdargouthi@gmail.com |
| Theme 4: Impact of epigenetic modifications and non-coding RNAs in the etiopathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortions • Axis 1: Analysis of DNA methylation profiles in endometrial tissues This axis aims to study alterations in DNA methylation at the level of genes involved in embryonic implantation and immune tolerance. These modifications could disrupt the maternal-fetal dialogue and promote early gestational loss. • Axis 2: Role of microRNAs in the regulation of key pregnancy genes This component focuses on the identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) that are overexpressed or underexpressed in women with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortions. These small regulatory RNAs can modulate the expression of genes essential for embryonic survival. • Axis 3: Study of long non-coding RNAs in uterine remodeling This axis explores the function of lncRNAs in processes of decidual transformation, vascularization and embryonic reception. A deregulation of these non-coding RNAs could compromise the preparation of the uterus for implantation. • Axis 4: Influence of epigenetic factors on maternal immunity This last axis examines how epigenetic modifications influence the differentiation of immune cells (such as uterine NK cells or regulatory T cells), essential for fetal tolerance. An immune imbalance could be the cause of recurrent abortions. |
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| Name | Rank | Email addresses | |
| Project Chief | Yosra Hasni | Professor | y.hasni@gmail.com |
| Involved Researchers | Salima Ferchichi | Professor | trimechesaly@yahoo.fr |
| Anis Haddad | Professor | ||
| Henda Chahed | Professor | hendchahed05@gmail.com | |
| Nadia Leban | Assistant Professor | lebannadia@yahoo.fr | |
| Akram Alaya | Assistant Professor | akram_alaya@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Wael Bahia | Assistant Professor | bahiawael@gmail.com | |
| Ismael Soltani | Post-Doc | soltaniismael@yahoo.fr | |
| Azza Dendana | Post-Doc | azzadandana@yahoo.fr | |
| Involved Students | Oumaima Takrouni | PhD student | oumaymatakrouni43@gmail.com |
| Theme 5: Bioinformatic approaches for the analysis of genetic variants and the prediction of functional impacts on protein stability and molecular interactions. • Axis 1: Detection and functional annotation of genetic variants This component aims to identify mutations from sequencing data (WES/WGS) and annotate them using bioinformatics tools such as ANNOVAR or VEP. The objective is to distinguish pathogenic variants from benign variants. • Axis 2: Structural modeling of the effects of variants on protein stability This axis focuses on predicting the impact of non-synonymous mutations on the three-dimensional structure and stability of proteins using software like FoldX, I-Mutant or AlphaFold. This allows understanding potential functional alterations. • Axis 3: Analysis of molecular interactions affected by mutations The objective here is to evaluate how variants can disrupt protein-protein or protein-DNA interactions. Tools like HADDOCK, ClusPro or PyMOL allow to simulate and visualize the modifications in interaction networks. • Axis 4: Integration of multi-omics data for global functional prediction This axis proposes to combine genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data in integrated bioinformatics pipelines. Multi-level analysis allows for a more precise evaluation of the biological consequences of a genetic variant |
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| Name | Rank | Email addresses | |
| Project Chief | Wael Bahia | Assistant Professor | bahiawael@gmail.com |
| Involved Researchers | Salima Ferchichi | Professor | trimechesaly@yahoo.fr |
| Yosra Hasni | Professor | y.hasni@gmail.com | |
| Henda Chahed | Professor | hendchahed05@gmail.com | |
| Nadia Leban | Assistant Professor | lebannadia@yahoo.fr | |
| Akram Alaya | Assistant Professor | akram_alaya@yahoo.co.uk | |
| Ismael Soltani | Post-Doc | soltaniismael@yahoo.fr | |
| Azza Dendana | Post-Doc | azzadandana@yahoo.fr | |
| Involved students | Nouhé Alimi | PhD student | Aliminouha12@gmail.com |