Catherine Sabatel and Norma Kühn, new FNRS Research Associates

imgActu — Catherine Sabatel on the left, Norma Kühn on the right | ©️ GIGA

Congratulations to Catherine Sabatel and Norma Kühn, who have each been awarded a FNRS mandate as Research Associate.

Catherine Sabatel

Her project

Our lungs are constantly exposed to foreign molecules (allergens) as well as danger signals (for example, lipopolysaccharide, a compound found in bacterial cell walls) present in the ambient air. According to immunological theories, we should all develop an immune response, such as a respiratory allergy, to these allergens. Fortunately, this is not the case, which demonstrates the existence of regulatory mechanisms, known as immune brakes, that prevent the development of such responses and maintain pulmonary homeostasis. Among these immune brakes, our laboratory discovered in 2009, within lung tissue, a population of regulatory macrophages (Mregs) characterized by their ability to spontaneously produce large quantities of an immunosuppressive cytokine, interleukin (IL)-10—thereby contributing to the maintenance of pulmonary homeostasis. My research focuses on these cells and their role in severe inflammatory lung diseases.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory infections such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2, which lead to uncontrolled inflammation, have no curative treatment and are among the leading causes of mortality. Based on the literature and preliminary results, I believe that Mregs play a key role in preventing these inflammatory lung diseases, both acute and chronic.

My research will therefore aim to better understand the function of Mregs in these diseases, a crucial step toward evaluating their therapeutic potential. In this project, we will generate transgenic mice to determine the role of pulmonary Mregs in preclinical models of COPD and severe inflammation induced by viral infections. These results should, ultimately, pave the way for new therapeutic strategies, such as the transfer of autologous Mregs generated ex vivo, to evaluate their efficacy in controlling severe respiratory inflammatory diseases. We will also seek to identify pharmacological compounds capable of stimulating Mregs and their regulatory function.

About her

Catherine holds a master’s degree in biochemistry, molecular, and cellular biology from the Faculty of Sciences and completed her Ph.D. in the Cellular and Molecular Immunology Laboratory at the GIGA-Immunobiology Research Center within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. During her Ph.D., she demonstrated the importance of Mregs, induced by exposure to bacterial DNA, in preventing the development of allergic asthma, thereby providing a mechanistic explanation for the hygiene hypothesis. She then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Lausanne in the Department of Oncology. Upon returning to GIGA in 2020, Catherine continued her research on Mregs, which enabled her to identify a key transcription factor involved in their regulatory function.

Norma Kühn

Her Project

My research aims to understand how the brain transforms sensory information into adaptive behaviors, and why this process can fail in the context of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. I will focus specifically on the visual circuits of the midbrain, particularly the superior colliculus, a brain region that enables animals to react quickly to visual events in their environment, for example, by orienting themselves, fleeing, or freezing.

A central tenet of my research is that subtle changes at the molecular level, particularly involving ion channels and membrane proteins, can alter how individual neurons process information and how brain circuits generate behavior. These mechanisms are of great importance, as ion channel dysfunction is associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders and impaired sensory processing.

At GIGA, my laboratory will combine electrophysiology, in vivo recordings, imaging, behavioral experiments, and computational modeling to develop predictive models of brain function. The long-term goal is to understand how molecular changes can lead to maladaptive circuit activity and behavioral deficits. Such models could help identify at what point sensory processing becomes dysfunctional and provide a mechanistic framework to guide future strategies for managing neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders.

About Her

Norma is a neuroscientist specializing in systems and computational neuroscience, with a background in physics. She first studied physics at the University of Leipzig, where she earned her master’s degree in 2011. This background continues to strongly influence her approach to neuroscience, combining experiments with quantitative and computational models.

Her work in neuroscience has focused on understanding how visual information is encoded, processed, and ultimately transformed into action. During her Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Tim Gollisch at the University Medical Center Göttingen, she studied how retinal circuits encode visual information. Since 2017, as a postdoctoral researcher in the Farrow Laboratory at KU Leuven, she has expanded this work from the retina to the superior colliculus, a key hub in the midbrain where visual information is transformed into rapid responses.

Norma has been fortunate to receive selective funding, including MSCA and FWO grants. She also enjoys contributing to the scientific community by giving lectures, organizing symposia, and teaching at international summer schools. Early in her career, she participated in science outreach activities, including “science slams” and open houses, and she looks forward to continuing this type of engagement at GIGA.

As an F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate at GIGA Neurosciences, she will develop a research program linking molecular mechanisms, circuit function, and behavior to build predictive models of brain dysfunction. These models aim to understand when healthy brain circuits become dysfunctional and how such changes could potentially be prevented or corrected. She will work in Vincent Seutin’s laboratory.

Congratulations also to:

- Athéna Demertzi and Michaël Herfs , who have been promoted to Senior Research Associates
- Christophe Desmet and Nor Eddine Sounni , who have been promoted to Research Directors

Published on 6/26/26