It is with a great pride and pleasure that we share with you the news that Joël Bockaert has been awarded the title of Doctor ‘honoris causa‘ by the Université de Montréal.

The ‘honoris causa’ doctorate is an honorary degree awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding and exemplary contribution to their field. As you all know, Joël’s work concerns G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), of which he is one of the world’s leading specialists. In 1985, Joël discovered the metabotropic glutamate receptors and, a few years later, a new serotonin receptor subtype, the 5-HT₄ receptor. These receptors are still considered as promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. More recently, Joël has demonstrated the importance of the association of GPCRs with partner proteins (called GIPs for GPCR-interacting proteins) in their constitutive activity, as in the case of the association of Homer proteins with mGlu1,5 metabotropic glutamate receptors. In line with these observations, Joël has inspired a number of projects at the IGF devoted to the molecular and functional characterization of protein networks associated with GPCRs using, among others, proteomics strategies. Joël is the author of 485 publications and is one of the most cited French researchers (over 53500 citations).

Congratulations Joël for this well-deserved gratification !

The Management Team