Adrien Denizet, laureate of the “Mature Your PhD” call

Congratulations to Adrien Denizet, winner of the “Mature ton PhD +” call for projects, supported by SATT Aquitaine and the University of Bordeaux.
Adrien Denizet is a doctoral student under the supervision of Philippe Peixoto (ISM), Sandrine Bertrand (INCIA), and Eric Boué-Grabot (IMN).

The award was presented to him on Friday, December 3, 2025, during the Doctoral Program’s opening ceremony.

His project

During my thesis, I studied a family of natural alkaloids derived from a subtropical plant called Securinega suffruticosa. Discovered in the mid-20th century, these compounds have been linked to various biological activities, but their study has long been limited due to the small quantities available through plant extraction. Thanks to my laboratory’s expertise in chemistry, we nevertheless developed an effective synthesis method that allowed us to obtain these molecules in sufficient quantities to enable in-depth study. This was particularly true from a neurobiological perspective, where (–)-securinine, the leader of this family, has previously been shown to have antagonistic properties towards GABAA receptors. This project, at the interface between organic chemistry and neurobiology, consisted of synthesizing several Securinega alkaloids before studying their interactions with GABAA receptors at the molecular level.

Beyond their fundamental interest in neuroscience, these results open up prospects for applied applications. Plants also have GABA-type receptors, which are involved in their defense mechanisms against stress and external aggressions. This observation, coupled with the fact that Securinega alkaloids are produced by plants living in subtropical environments often subject to high pathogen pressure, suggests a potential role for these molecules in plant protection. We therefore hypothesize that these alkaloids could be developed as natural and innovative antifungal agents, based on a mechanism of action similar to that demonstrated at the neuronal level. This approach could help address current socio-economic issues related to pathogens that are still difficult to control. It is this area of research that has been recognized and supported by the awarding of this prize.

About the call

“Mature ton PhD” was originally a SATT Aquitaine scheme designed to help and support doctoral students and young PhDs in developing their work during and immediately after their thesis.

The University of Bordeaux wanted to strengthen this initiative by offering PhD students the opportunity to extend their contract by 3 months in order to work on the socio-economic impact and innovation potential of their thesis work, with the help of the SATT. Depending on the nature of the project, funding may also be provided for these additional weeks devoted to the development of the project.