Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology

The Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology (Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS) is a research center run as a collaboration between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (French: Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) and Paul Sabatier University. It has a scientific and administrative staff of 260 people, including a large number of postdoctoral workers and postgraduate (master's and PhD) students. The primary objective of the institute is the identification and characterization of novel therapeutic targets in the fields of cancer and infectious diseases (particularly tuberculosis).

The institute is located on 205 route de Narbonne and shares the campus with Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination (LCC).

The IPBS is part of a scientific network of Toulouse's main life science labs.

History
In 1972, Claude Paoletti and Jean Cros created the Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology and Toxicology (French: LPTF), which in 1990 became the seventh French pole of the National Programme IMABIO (Macromolecules engineering). New topics such as oncology, neurology and genotoxicology emerged.

Between 1990 and 1995, new teams arrived to develop topics about tuberculosis, protein engineering and structural biology.

1996-1999
Professor Jean Cros founded the IPBS in 1996, with the aim of applying the methods and concepts of modern cell, molecular and structural biology to the identification and validation of novel pharmacological targets in the fields of cancer and G-protein-coupled receptors. In December 1997, a new building was opened on the campus of the Paul Sabatier University to house all of the institute's groups on one site.

1999-2008
Under the leadership of Professor François Amalric, the IPBS continued its work on the characterization and validation of new pharmacological targets using molecular and cell biology approaches, together with analysis of the structure/function relationships of biomolecules and their assemblies.

The Cancer Biology Department was created in 2005, and five new teams were established during the period from 2005 to 2008. These new teams supported the two main axes of research covered by the Department: DNA transactions and repair, and the microenvironment of tumors.

The Structural Biology and Biophysics Department was created in 2009 with the objective of enhancing the exposure of the IPBS in structural biology and biophysics.

2009-Now
In January 2009, Dr. Jean-Philippe Girard succeeded Prof. François Amalric as Director of the institute. The current policy of the IPBS is to increase its international cooperation through hosting foreign students and researchers, currently numbering 21, and through participating in mobility programs such as the Joint Research Programs developed by the CNRS and the Hubert Curien Partnerships developed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Research fields
The IPBS has 17 research teams, divided into three departments:
 * Cancer biology (six teams)
 * Structural biology and biophysics (five teams)
 * Tuberculosis and infection biology (six teams).

Core facilities
IPBS supports technological facilities and equipment for use by the institute's researchers and external investigators. The institute hosts four technological platforms.

Main platforms

 * Proteomics (Head: Dr Odile Burlet‐Schiltz)

This platform uses mass spectrometry and bioinformatics tools to handle programs in areas ranging from biology and health to agricultural applications.
 * PICT ("Plateforme Intégrée de Criblage de Toulouse"; Head: Dr Laurent Maveyraud).

Partner platforms
The IPBS is a partner site for two other platforms.
 * TRI ("Toulouse Réseau Imagerie"; Head: Dr Antonio Peixoto).

The core facility uses time-lapse imaging to visualize complex systems from molecules to whole organisms, at time scales ranging from nanoseconds to several days. The facility also has instrumentation capable of phenotypic characterization and sorting of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells by flow cytometry.
 * Anexplo (Head: Dr Magali Jacquier).

The IPBS zootechnics facilities are part of the life science core facility of Toulouse, which includes eight other sites with complementary technical skills.

These technological facilities are included in a regional network of research platforms in life sciences, open to groups from both the public and private sectors.

Technological transfer and partnership with industry
Since 1999, IPBS has been active in partnership with industry. The first public-private high throughput screening center between CNRS and Pierre Fabre SA was present at IPBS from 1999 to 2003. Eight small biotechnology companies (start-ups) have been started or incubated at the IPBS during the last ten years. Forty-two patent applications and extensions were filed, and more than eighty research contracts signed with the pharmaceutical industry and biotech companies. In recognition of these activities, the IPBS was awarded the INPI Innovation Trophies 2008 Award.
 * Industrial partnerships: Abtech, Artichem, Adisseo France, Aureus Pharma, BetaTech, BT Pharma, Biovector Therapeutics, Bruker, Cayla, Centre d’Immunologie Pierre Fabre, CERPEM, CRIIT Castres, Diverchim, EDF, Endocube, GlaxoSmithKline, Genclis, GTP Technology, Immuno Designed Molecules, Institut Européen de Biologie Cellulaire, Institut de Recherche Pierre Fabre, L-Path (USA), Millegen, Mitsui-Norin, Nanobiotix, Novaleads, Oncodesign, Palumed, Pierre Fabre Dermo Cosmétique, Praxcell, Protein Biosensor, Sanofi-Aventis, SFRI, Techniques et Fabrication Electroniques, Total, Veolia.
 * Intellectual Property: At present, there are 70 applications for patents or their extensions involve IPBS researchers as inventors or co-inventors, and two patents have been licensed.
 * Legal tools and good practices: Contracts for technical and counselling services, research collaborations, consortium and confidentiality agreements, consulting, material transfer agreements, laboratory book data, and quality control.
 * Help to emerging start-ups: Since 1999, the IPBS has developed scientific collaborations and/or hosted activities of eight companies: Abtech (struck off on 1 September 2008), Endocube (struck off on 12 March 2008), Millegen (closed), Novaleads (struck off on 10 September 2014), Nanobiotix, Protein Bio Sensor (registered on 6 July 2005), Praxcell (struck off on 5 March 2012), Icelltis (registered on 10 January 2008).

Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
The Scientific Advisory Board advises the Director and executive board on the scientific policy of the institute, public relations, and aspects relating to research team life cycles (creation, modification of research orientations, transition, etc.). The SAB also assesses the scientific projects conducted by each research team at the institute.

The SAB is composed of nine researchers, who are (in alphabetical order):
 * Frederick Alt from Harvard Medical School,
 * Mina Bissell from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
 * Patrick Couvreur from Institut Galien Paris Sud,
 * Sabine Ehrt from Weill Cornell Medical College,
 * Jean-Pierre Gorvel from Centre d'immunologie de Marseille-Luminy,
 * Kathryn S Lilley from University of Cambridge,
 * Dino Moras from Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire,
 * Eric Solary from Institut Gustave Roussy,
 * David Russell from Cornell University.

International relations
The IPBS has been involved in many research networks under the European Commission’s Frameworks, from the Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development activities (FP5) to Horizon 2020 projects.

These networks involve several teams from the Tuberculosis & Infection Biology department, which participate in European integrated projects fighting tuberculosis. This includes projects coordinated by the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, but also involve teams from the Cancer Biology and Structural Biology & Biophysics departments.

Since 2000, the Tuberculosis & Infection Biology department of the IPBS has been part of the TBVAC Consortium. The TBVAC Consortium includes key partners from leading European laboratories, as well as from the United States, Asia, Africa and Australia, Scientists and developers from 40 research partners collaborated in TBVAC2020. The current 4-year project started in January 2015 and is coordinated by the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI).

Since 2015, IPBS has taken part in various European schemes, such as RESPIRE 2 and 3, and in the Initial Training Network (ITN).

In collaboration with the University of Ljubljana, the IPBS developed a European Associated Laboratory (LEA) entitled Pulsed Electric Fields Applications in Biology and Medicine (LEA EBAM). This French-Slovenian “without walls” laboratory, created in January 2011 for four years, has been renewed for the same duration.

IPBS teams are also members of the interregional (Spain-France-Andorra) POCTEFA 2014-2020 created to promote the sustainable development of the border territories of the three countries on both sides of the Pyrenees.

The IPBS in numbers
The IPBS is mainly supported by direct and indirect finance from the CNRS and the Paul Sabatier University, covering the wages of more than 260 researchers. Other funding sources include the European Union, the Occitanie administrative region, industry, public contracts, charities and other facilities. The average annual budget is €7 million (US$1,182,700). Today, the institute has produced 2200 publications, 50 European and international contracts, more than 300 theses supported by students, 70 registered patents and 8 incubated startups.