{"id":3359,"date":"2025-11-24T12:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T11:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vbhi-institute.org\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2025-11-27T15:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T14:40:11","slug":"new-biological-fingerprint-of-cerebral-small-vessel-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vbhi-institute.org\/en\/new-biological-fingerprint-of-cerebral-small-vessel-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"New biological fingerprint of cerebral small vessel disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A <\/span>young<\/span> researcher<\/span> within<\/span> the ELEANOR team<\/a> of Bordeaux Population <\/span>Health<\/span>, Inserm U1219, <\/span>led<\/span> by Dr David-Alexandre Tregou\u00ebt<\/a><\/span>, a <\/span>member<\/span> of the VBHI <\/span>executive<\/span> committee<\/span>, and <\/span>working<\/span> closely<\/span> with<\/span> Prof St\u00e9phanie <\/span>Debette<\/span><\/a>, the <\/span>institute\u2019s<\/span> omics<\/span> lead in charge of the VBHI \u2013 Translational Omics Centre programme<\/a><\/span>, <\/span>Ilana<\/span> Caro has <\/span>just<\/span> published<\/span> a <\/span>study<\/span> on the <\/span>proteogenomics<\/span> of <\/span>cerebrospinal<\/span> fluid<\/span> and plasma, <\/span>revealing<\/span> a new <\/span>biological<\/span> signature of <\/span>cerebral<\/span> small<\/span> vessel<\/span> disease<\/span>. Interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What’s<\/span> your<\/span> background?<\/span><\/h2>\n

After<\/span> completing<\/span> a <\/span>Master\u2019s<\/span> degree<\/span> in <\/span>Genetics<\/span>, <\/span>Genomics<\/span> and <\/span>Systems<\/span> Biology<\/span><\/strong> at the <\/span>University<\/span> of Nantes, I <\/span>continued<\/span> my<\/span> training <\/span>within<\/span> the ELEANOR team at the Bordeaux Population <\/span>Health<\/span> Research<\/span> Center. I first <\/span>worked<\/span> under<\/span> the supervision of Dr. <\/strong><\/span>David-Alexandre<\/span> Tr\u00e9gou\u00ebt<\/span><\/strong> during<\/span> my<\/span> Master\u2019s<\/span> internship<\/span>, <\/span>which<\/span> focused<\/span> on <\/span>extending<\/span> a miRNA <\/span>alignment<\/span> pipeline to <\/span>other<\/span> small<\/span> non-<\/span>coding<\/span> RNAs<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

I <\/span>then<\/span> pursued<\/span> my<\/span> PhD <\/span><\/strong>under<\/span> the supervision of Prof. St\u00e9phanie <\/strong><\/span>Debette<\/span><\/strong> as part of the RHU SHIVA <\/a><\/span>project<\/span>, <\/span>aiming<\/span> to <\/span>characterize<\/span> the <\/span>molecular<\/span> mechanisms<\/span> of <\/span>cerebral<\/span> small<\/span> vessel<\/span> disease<\/span><\/a> using<\/span> multi-<\/span>omics<\/span> approaches<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

I <\/span>am<\/span> now<\/span> continuing<\/span> my<\/span> work<\/span> as a postdoctoral <\/strong><\/span>researcher<\/span><\/strong> with<\/span> Prof. St\u00e9phanie <\/span>Debette<\/span><\/strong>, <\/span>mainly<\/span> studying<\/span> the <\/span>proteomic<\/span> and <\/span>epigenomic<\/span> aspects of <\/span>cerebral<\/span> small<\/span> vessel<\/span> disease<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

*<\/span>Omics<\/span> encompass<\/span> a set of disciplines <\/span>that<\/span> study<\/span> all the components of a <\/span>biological<\/span> system, <\/span>such<\/span> as a <\/span>cell<\/span>, a tissue or an <\/span>organism<\/span>. <\/span>Instead<\/span> of <\/span>analysing<\/span> a single <\/span>gene<\/span> or a single <\/span>protein<\/span>, <\/span>they<\/span> examine the <\/span>entire<\/span> network of components to <\/span>understand<\/span> how <\/span>they<\/span> function<\/span> and <\/span>interact<\/span>. Multi-<\/span>omics<\/span> data are <\/span>generated<\/span> by <\/span>analysing<\/span> several<\/span> omics<\/span> layers<\/span>, <\/span>such<\/span> as <\/span>genomics<\/span>, <\/span>metabolomics<\/span>, transcriptomics and proteomics.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you investigate in this scientific publication?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our work focuses on cerebral small vessel disease<\/strong>. This is a complex condition, very common in the general population but still poorly understood, which contributes to many strokes and cognitive disorders, particularly in older adults. <\/span><\/p>\n

It can be detected years before the onset of clinical symptoms, notably through brain imaging (MRI). <\/span><\/p>\n

In this study, we examined proteins and associated genetic variants (proteogenomics) measured in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and their associations with MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease, to identify biomarkers and better understand the underlying mechanisms of the condition<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The goal is to gain a detailed understanding of the pathways involved in the deterioration of small blood vessels in the brain and the resulting increased risk of stroke and dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why are you interested in this subject?<\/span><\/h2>\n

We are interested in this topic because cerebral small vessel disease is a major public health issue<\/strong>: it affects a large number of people but is often diagnosed late. <\/span><\/p>\n

By identifying earlier and more precise biomarkers, we hope to pave the way for better prevention and more timely diagnosis<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this a major discovery?<\/span><\/h2>\n

This is an important discovery because, until now, we have lacked reliable biomarkers to study and diagnose this disease. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our approach combines, for the first time<\/strong> at this scale, proteomics and genomics in the two most informative fluids for the brain<\/strong>: <\/span><\/p>\n