Barbara Demeneix (born 1949) is a biologist and endocrinologist. She is currently team leader in a CNRS research unit at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.
Education edit
Barbara Demeneix obtained her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. Hons) at the University of Wales and an M.Sc. at the University of Clermont-Ferrand (France). She completed her PhD in endocrinology and physiology at the University of Calgary (Canada) in 1977 as well as her Doctorat d’Etat (D.Sc.) at the University Paris VI in 1983.
Research career edit
Between 1970 and 1981 Barbara Demeneix taught at different levels in Malawi, Canada, Morocco and France, before taking up a Lectureship at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg from 1981 to 1989. During this period she undertook two research fellowships in the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory in Cambridge (1986) and in the Max Planck Institute in Munich (1988-1989).
Since arriving at the National Museum of Natural History in 1990 her research focused on the evolution of thyroid hormone signaling. She sought to understand how thyroid hormones activate or repress gene activity in different tissues at various developmental states and in changing physiological conditions. Working with amphibian and mouse models, she contributed to developing and optimizing techniques to study gene regulation in integrated contexts. Technologies have been patented and licensed out to SMEs (Polyplus, WatchFrog).[1]
In the laboratory, these methods have been applied to advance understanding of:
- how thyroid hormone exerts negative feedback effects on hypothalamic controls,
- how thyroid hormone regulates adult neurogenesis during aging,
- how thyroid hormone acts in early amphibian development and in metamorphosis.[2]
Barbara Demeneix was nominated to the Chair of Comparative Physiology in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris in 1995.[3] This position was previously held by Claude Bernard, Jean-Pierre Flourens and Frédéric Cuvier. In 1998 she took on the twin direction of Museum Comparative Physiology Laboratory and the CNRS unit UMR 7221 ‘Evolution of Endocrine Regulations’ (1998-2013). In 2001 she became director of the Department ‘Regulations and Development’ of the National Museum of Natural History, a post she held until 2017. This department grouped 3 main research units representing 200 staff.[4] During this period she coordinated two large-scale European projects: CRESCENDO (2005-2011) on nuclear receptors in development and aging,[5] and SWITCHBOX (2011-2015) on maintaining health in old age through homeostasis.[6]
Barbara Demeneix is active with international committees addressing thyroid hormone and endocrine disruption (including the OECD[7] and the European Thyroid Association[8]).
In 2016 she co-published an opinion column in Le Monde with more than 100 other scientists, in which they asked the EU and the international community to act against endocrine disrupting chemicals. They also condemned the use of strategies for manufacturing doubt employed by industries in the climate change battle.[9]
Awards edit
- 2004 Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur
- 2011 Nature Award for Mentoring in Science (France)[10]
- 2014 Officier de la Légion d’Honneur[11]
- 2014 CNRS Medal for Innovation[12]
- 2017 Finalist of the EU Prize for Women Innovators[13]
- 2018 Commander of the French National Order of Merit[14]
Publications edit
Barbara Demeneix has published more than 170 scientific publications,[15] and two first-author books.
Books edit
- Losing our Minds: How environmental pollution impairs human intelligence and mental health, Oxford University Press, 2014.[16] Translated into French: Le Cerveau endommagé: Comment la pollution altère notre intelligence et notre santé mentale, Editions Odile Jacob, 2016.[17]
- Toxic Cocktail: How chemical pollution is poisoning our brains, Oxford University Press, 2017.[18] Translated into French: Cocktail toxique: Comment les perturbateurs endocriniens empoisonnent notre cerveau, Editions Odile Jacob, 2017.[19]
References edit
- ^ "CNRS, Talents du CNRS, Médaille de l'Innovation 2014" (PDF). CNRS. June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "UMR 7221. Team 1: Integration of transcriptional responses inducted by thyroid hormones and their receptors (Demeneix)". 9 May 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "CNRS, Press Release "Barbara Demeneix récompensée par le magazine Nature"". CNRS. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Museum Departement 'Regulations and Development'". National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "CRESCENDO website". Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS), SWITCHBOX project". European Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ Deléage, Jean-Paul (2017). Barbara Demeneix, chercheuse et citoyenne. Editions Le Bord de l’eau. pp. 136–145. ISBN 9782356875198.
- ^ "ETA Executive Committee". European Thyroid Association. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Let's stop the manipulation of science". Le Monde. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ "Nature goes to Paris to celebrate scientific mentors (Press Release)". Nature Publishing Group. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Décret du 18 avril portant promotion et nomination, JORF n°0094 du 20 avril 2014 page 6951". Legifrance. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Médaille de l'Innovation: les lauréats 2014". CNRS le Journal. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Meet the 12 finalists of the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2017 (News Alert)". European Commission, Research & Innovatiobn website. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ (in French) "Décret du 15 novembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05.
- ^ "Barbara Demeneix's blog, Publications". 2016-06-03. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ Barbara., Demeneix (2014). Losing our minds : how environmental pollution impairs human intelligence and mental health. ISBN 9780199917518. OCLC 878224699.
- ^ Demeneix, Barbara (2016). Le Cerveau endommagé. Paris: Odile Jacob. ISBN 9782738133915.
- ^ Barbara., Demeneix (2017). Toxic cocktail : how chemical pollution is poisoning our brains. ISBN 9780190260934. OCLC 945170049.
- ^ Demeneix, Barbara (2017). Cocktail toxique. Odile Jacob. ISBN 978-2738140067.