Marc Parmentier Searching for new therapeutic targets

In cell-to-cell communication, the membrane is key. Packed full of molecules with diverse functions, it is spanned by proteins implicated in a wide range of diseases: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Located between the outer and inner surfaces of the membrane, these receptors play a pivotal role in how cells interact with their environment.

GPCRs are thus involved in regulating a range of processes including heart rate, the renal elimination of water and ions, hunger and even emotions. An in-depth understanding of how they function could therefore be crucial in treating certain conditions.

Orphan proteins

Scientists are still a long way off of uncovering all the secrets of GPCRs. Many of these receptors are known as “Orphan GPCRs”. This means that they have no known specific ligand or physiological function. And yet, the identification of these elements could prove crucial in treating certain diseases.

Marc Parmentier’s group is working at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular Biology to characterize many of these orphan GPCRs. It is likely that they constitute prime therapeutic targets. Notably, the researcher has developed a method for isolating these receptors without a known function, to make them easier to study.

The Foundation’s support

The Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences is supporting Marc Parmentier in continuing his exploratory research. Marc Parmentier and his team are particularly interested in the orphan receptors located in the brain, to characterise new signalling pathways in the central nervous system, and those found in immune system cells. Analysing the latter holds the key to regulating immune function. Marc Parmentier’s work has thus guided the identification and characterisation of the CCR5 receptor, which was discovered to be the main co-receptor for HIV entry into CD4 T cells. Today, the active molecule in the antiretroviral treatment Maraviran blocks this receptor.