The research group “Medicinal Chemistry of α-amino acid receptors and transporters” is part of
UMR8601-CNRS at University Paris Descartes
http://www.biomedicale.parisdescartes.fr/umr8601/-rubrique9-.html
Today the group is composed of Francine Acher and Isabelle McCort as senior scientists, a postdoc
(Chenyu Ling), two PHD students (Claudia Desole and Nunzia Cristiano), two technicians (Alexandre
Cabayé and Cédric Barboux) and undergraduate students.
The Acher group is focused on small molecules that target receptors and transporters of the CNS.
Using synthetic organic chemistry and molecular modeling, we develop pharmacological and
therapeutic tools. The team is involved in various projects from the initial design (molecules, 3D
models…) all along to the in vivo studies. The interdisciplinary projects are made possible through
numerous collaborations in the fields of pharmacology, molecular biology, cellular biology and
behavior. Thus molecules that are developed in the group allow investigations of animal models of
Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms, psychiatric diseases, cognition, pain and addiction as well as
imaging and activation or transport mechanism elucidation.