News – Events
2022
APRIL
Kim Do Cuénod gave a plenary lecture at the 2022 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) in Florence, Italy. Every year, this congress brings together a large number of researchers and clinicians from all over the world, who are active in the field of schizophrenia and related disorders. Kim Do Cuénod also chaired two symposiums during the congress. Watch the lecture
MARCH
Kim Do Cuénod was invited to give a special lecture at the 142nd Annual Meeting of The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. The meeting was held in Nagoya and attended by several thousands participants: researchers, engineers, educators, and students from various fields related to pharmacy and pharmaceutical science. Kim Do Cuénod gave her lecture by Zoom on March 27th. See Webpage of the Meeting.
JANUARY
The website of the American editor Springer Nature published an article on an important review compiled by the research group of Kim Do Cuénod, and selected as one of the most significative publications of the year 2021; indeed, it is one of the 12 highlights / highest impact articles published by Molecular Psychiatry in 2021. See the webpage
2021
DECEMBER
On September 16th, 2021, the Website of NCCR-Synapsy – www.nccr-synapsy.ch – published a news entitled “Two Blood Markers for Schizophrenia” focusing on the link between the severity of clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and blood biomarkers related to the dysregulation of neuronal mitochondria. Read the article
The Website of the CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital) also issued a news on this discovery, which was published in the internationally renowned scientific review Molecular Psychiatry. Read the news (French only)
SEPTEMBER
In its edition of September 20th, 2021, Le Magazine Suisse published an article on the research supported by the Alamaya Foundation, featuring an interview with Kim Do Cuénod. Read the article
SEPTEMBER
The 40th annual Meeting of the Swiss Society of Biological Psychiatry, of which Kim Do Cuénod is president, took place on September 17th, 2021, at Campus Biotech in Geneva.
For many participants, it was the first in person meeting since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – a great experience for everyone!
See program of the Meeting
2020
Despite the general slowdown of activities in 2020, a significant number of scientific articles have been published during the year, authored or co-authored by Kim Do Cuénod and her group, some of which in high impact factor journals like Nature Neuroscience or JAMA Psychiatry. See Publications
NOVEMBER
Kim Do Cuénod was elected president of the Swiss Society of Biological Psychiatry (SSBP) during the General Assembly in November 2020. SSBP is a member of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and associated with the Swiss Society of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. Its objective is to foster research, education and exchange regarding the biological basis of psychiatry and neuroscience as well as corresponding research methodologies and treatment modalities.
JANUARY
Shortly before the restricitons due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kim Do Cuénod participated as a keynote speaker in the 5th edition of the “Meet the Expert” Meeting, where some 400 experts gathered to discuss all aspects that may be related to patient care, early intervention, and the latest advances in technology for the management of mental health. The meeting took place in Madrid (Spain), on January 31st and February 1st 2020.
2019
OCTOBER
Kim Do Cuénod participated as a speaker in the event organized to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM) at the Federal School of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). The CIBM has opened a new horizon in biomedical imaging by providing research scientists with the most advanced state of the art equipment, and by allowing medical doctors, scientists and engineers to work as a multidisciplinary team in order to advance basic science, as well as translational and clinical research..
Program of the event – CIBM Website
SEPTEMBER
On Saturday September 28th, 2019, the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience (CNP, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital) opened its doors to the public from 11am to 5pm. Visitors were able to learn about the studies conducted by the CPN teams, including the Unit for Research in Schizophrenia (URS) supported by the Alamaya Foundation, through exhibitions and interactive workshops. A unique opportunity to meet the clinicians and researchers who work hand in hand to improve the understanding, detection and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Program of the day – Flyer URS
Video on the collaboration between the CNP and the Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM)
APRIL
Dr Luis Alameda, clinician-scientist at the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, was awarded one of the research prizes 2019 of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA). The winning article in the category Biological correlates and treatments of mental disorders is entitled Redox Dysregulation as a Link between Childhood Trauma and Psychopathological and Neurocognitive Profile in Early Psychosis Patients, and was published in November 2018 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr Margot Fournier and Dr Ines Khadimallah, neurobiologists at the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience.
FEBRUARY
Kim Do Cuénod and Michel Cuénod were invited as guest speakers to the 1st International Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The congress was organized by the Asian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (AsCNP) and took place from 28 February to 2 March, in Yogyakarta on the isle of Java (Indonesia). www.ascnp.org
2018
NOVEMBER
The group of Prof. Kim Do Cuénod and the team of Prof. Philippe Conus publish results indicating the important role of antioxidants in preventing the harmful consequences of childhood trauma in psychosis. See press release
NOVEMBER
The Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience and the Department of General Psychiatry (Lausanne University Hospital) publish the results of a study suggesting the protective effects of an antioxidant treatment on the brain of young adults suffering from psychosis. See press release
SEPTEMBER
Inauguration of the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience
Two years after its construction was launched, the new building of the Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience (CPN, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital) opened its doors. The inaugural ceremony took place on September 21st, in the presence of Mr Pierre-Yves Maillard, member of the Council of State (second from the right), Mr Alain Gillièron, mayor of Prilly (far right), Prof. Jacques Gasser, head of the Department of Psychiatry (far left), Prof. Kim Do Cuénod, director of the CPN (second from the left), and the architect Mr Nicolas Vaucher. Initiated in 2016, the building hosts ten translational research units focusing on psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, drug addiction, anxiety, depression or Alzheimer’s disease.
See time-lapse video
Photos : © SAM-CHUV / Eric Déroze
MAY
©Florian Cella
The daily newspaper 24heures publishes a portrait of Kim Do Cuénod (edition of May 4th, 2018)
APRIL
Kim Do Cuénod was named winner of the 2018 SIRS Outstanding Basic Science Award. The award is granted biennially by the Schizophrenia International Research Society in recognition of an outstanding basic research contribution to schizophrenia research. The contribution may be preclinical or work which emphasizes the interface between basic and clinical research. The selection of the award recipient is based on the quality of the contribution and its impact on advancing schizophrenia research. It is a great honor for award recipients to be held in such high consideration by their peers. The award ceremony took place during the SIRS Conference in Florence (4-8 April 2018).
At the same Conference, Kim Do Cuénod was also presented with the 2018 Elsevier Senior Schizophrenia Research Award, which acknowledges her outstanding contributions to the field of schizophrenia research and the significant impact her article entitled “Redox dysregulation, neuroinflammation and NMDA receptor hypofunction: a “central hub” in schizophrenia pathophysiology?” generated among journal readers, based on the citations this article received during the past year. The award is granted by Elsevier, publisher of Schizophrenia Research.
FEBRUARY
On Februray 15th, 2018, Kim Do Cuénod gave her inaugural lesson as Ordinary Professor of the Faculty of biology and medicine of the University of Lausanne.
See programme of the inaugural lesson
See Kim Do Cuénod’s profile on the website of the University of Lausanne
JANUARY
On January 18th, 2018, the Alamaya Foundation organized a guided tour of the exhibition Ai Weiwei – D’ailleurs c’est toujours les autres at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne. Around fifty friends and donors of the Foundation participated in the visit, which was expertly commented by Mr Camille Lévêque-Claudet, curator of the Museum.
Ai Weiwei is one of the most important and influential artists of the last ten years. The exhibition included over forty of his creations illustrating the wealth of Ai Weiwei’s work and his deep knowledge of the cultural tradition of his country. It was an opportunity to discover an allround genius: remarkable visual artist, encyclopedic mind, exceptional communicator, and a man committed to the great issues at stake in our world.
2017
NOVEMBER
Interview of Kim Do Cuénod following the pioneering results published in Schizophrenia Bulletin. Read the interview – French only
NOVEMBER
The Unit for Research in Schizophrenia (Prof. Kim Do Cuénod) and the Service of General Psychiatry (Prof. Philippe Conus) of Lausanne University Hospital, in collaboration with the Harvard Medical School in Boston (Prof. Larry Seidman), conducted a clinical trial with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in patients with a first psychotic episode. Their pioneering results have been published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.
Read the press release of Lausanne University – French only
SEPTEMBER
On September 14th, the construction of the new Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience was officially launched in the presence of local authorities. Le Chuvien, the magazine of Lausanne University Hospital, published an article on the subject in its September edition. Read the article – French only
JUNE
In mid-June 2017, Kim Do Cuénod gave a plenary conference at the World Congress on Brain, Behavior and Emotions, which took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. She also participated in a forum during this event.
The congress attracted around 5’000 participants, of whom 1’000 have been able to attend Prof. Do Cuénod’s plenary conference.
MAY
At the invitation of Prof. Alain Prochiantz, director of the Collège de France in Paris, Kim Do Cuénod participated in a colloquium, which was held at this prestigious institution on May 4th and 5th, 2017.
See program of the colloquium.
MARCH
Kim Do Cuénod chaired a symposium at the 2017 edition of the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research , which took place from March 24th to 28th in San Diego, California (USA). The symposium was entitled “Inflammation and redox dysregulation in the developing brain and schizophrenia”.
JANUARY
On January 18th, 2017, the friends and donors of the Alamaya Foundation were invited to visit the exhibition entitled August Strindberg. From the sea to the cosmos, which took place at the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts in Lausanne. Mr Camille Lévêque-Claudet, curator of the Museum and organizer of the exhibition, offered to coordinate the visit. August Strindberg (1849-1912), internationally renowned writer and dramatist, and author of the famous plays “The Father” and “Miss Julie”, is also one of the greatest Swedish visual artists. He was a man of intense sensitivity, and suffered from psychological disorders. The exhibition was one of the rare occasions to see a collection of his major masterpieces.
2016
SEPTEMBER
Dr Luis Alameda, clinician-scientist at the Unit for Research in Schiziphrenia (URS, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital) received an Award of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of Lausanne University for his thesis in medicine entitled “Childhood sexual and physical abuse : age at exposure modulates impact on functional outcome in early psychosis patients” and published in Psychological Medicine. His study highligths the greater risk to be affected by psychosis in children who have been physically or sexually abused – and shows that the age of exposure to abuse influences the subsequent evolution of the illness.
Following this publication and his award, Luis Alameda was invited to give an interview on Swiss Radio. To listen to the interview, click here.
Kim Do Cuénod has been invited to give a plenary lecture at the 29th ECNP Congress (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology), which took place from 17 to 20 September in Vienna (Austria); such an invitation vouches for the international visibility and prestige of the research programme conducted by Kim Do Cuénod. Her lecture was scheduled on September 19th, and attracted an audience of over 1,000 scientists.
Programme of the Congress – Interview with Prof. Kim Do Cuénod – Plenary lecture of Prof. Kim Do Cuénod
JULY
In Vivo, the magazine published by Lausanne University Hospital, features an article on the collaboration between neuroscientists and psychiatrists, and progress achieved in the field of research in schizophrenia.
To read the article, click here.
MARCH
In Vivo, the magazine published by Lausanne University Hospital, features an article on Dr Jan-Harry Cabungcal, senior researcher at the Unit for Research in Schizophrenia (URS, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital).
To read the article, click here.
MARCH
Interview of Kim Do Cuénod on Swiss Radio – “CQFD“, programme presented by Stéphane Gabioud: The dark side of glutamate
2015
DECEMBER
RTS 1 – 36.9°
Swiss Television broadcast on people who hear voices
Interview of Kim Do Cuénod
To watch the program, click here.
SEPTEMBER
The committee of the “Friends of Alamaya” invited the friends and donors of the Foundatin to a conference given by Mr Claude Nicollier entitled “Comprendre l’univers” (“Understand the Universe”). Following Mr Nicollier’s fascinating talk, Prof. Michel Cuénod, Chair of the Foundation, gave an overview of the highly promising progress achieved by Kim Do Cuénod’s research group. The event ended with an aperitif. See photos
AUGUST
Corroborating the excellence of the studies conducted at the Unit for Research in Schizophrenia (URS, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital), two members of the group have been rewarded for their projects.
Dr Jan-Harry Cabungcal received the Young Investigator Award 2015 of the Swiss Society of Biological Psychiatry for his article entitled Juvenile Antioxidant Treatment Prevents Adult Deficits in a Developmental Model of Schizophrenia, published in Neuron, a highly renowned scientific journal. He showed that the anomalies of specific neurons essential for cognitive activities can be avoided or corrected with the antioxidant N-acetyl-cystein. This discovery paves the way for new treatments.
More information on: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627314006394
Dr Aline Monin received an Award of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of Lausanne University for her thesis entitled Redox dysregulation in schizophrenia: implication for oligodendrocyte maturation and structural connectivity, published in the high impact journal Molecular Psychiatry. She explained the mechanisms responsible for anomalies of the nervous fibres, which connect the various brain areas. These anomalies are observed in people suffering from schizophrenia.
More information on: http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp201488a.html
MAY
- Collaboration between the research group of Kim Do Cuénod and a group of Harvard University: important findings – see press review of the month of May
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Western Switzerland – Conference by Kim Do Cuénod
MARCH
- Virtual Event Neuroscience – Kim Do Cuénod was invited to give a “virtual” conference during a “webinar” organized by LabRoots, a leading scientific social networking website based in California.
Programme of the Event – Presentation by Kim Do Cuénod
Media
2014
NOVEMBER
- Kim Do Cuénod was invited to give a special lecture at Neuroscience 2014 in Washington DC (USA), the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and most important congress worldwide in the field of neuroscience, which gathers over 30’000 participants each year.
Conference Announcement – Comment published on Schizophrenia Research Forum
SEPTEMBER
- Publication in Neuron – Press Release – Comment
- Interview of Kim Do Cuénod on Swiss Radio
- Newsletter 2014
AUGUST
- Publication in Molecular Psychiatry – Press Release
JUNE
- Honorable Mention presented to Dr Jan-Harry Cabungcal (research group of Kim Do Cuénod) by the Society of Biological Psychiatry (USA)
MAY
- Kim Do Cuénod was elected Individual Member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS)
- Schizophrenia: could it be prevented? – A scientific symposium organized in honour of Prof. Michel Cuénod, Chair of the Alamaya Foundation
- Video clip on the translational research program directed by Prof. Kim Do Cuénod and her clinician colleague Prof. Philippe Conus
MARCH
- Interview of Michel Cuénod on Swiss Radio