After receiving her B.Sc in zoological sciences in 1984, Agnès Noël started her research work in experimental oncology under the supervision of Prof. Charles Lapière and Prof. Jean-Michel Foidart. She wrote her Ph.D. thesis on the interactions between cancer cells and healthy cells infiltrating tumors, graduating in 1991. This research awoke her interest in proteases produced by host cells in response to chemical messengers produced by tumoral cells. She then shifted her focus from cellular biology to molecular biology while doing her post-doctorate at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (IGMCB)headed by Professor P. Chambon, where she was a member of Prof. P. Basset's team. Upon her return to Liège, Dr. Noël began as qualified researcher (1995) before being named an FNRS Research Associate in 1999. She became a lecturer at the University of Liège in 2003 prior to being appointed full Professor in 2007.

In 1998, Agnès Noël wrote her "agrégation" thesis allowing her to become a tenured professor. She teaches molecular and cellular biology as well as molecular oncology in the master's program in biomedical sciences. She now also co-coordinates the Laboratory of Tumor and Development Biology (LTDB) within the GIGA-cancer research center in conjunction with Professor JM Foidart. Her current work is essentially focused on tumor vascularization (angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis), a key step in regulating tumor growth and metastases formation via haematogenous and lymphatic pathways.

Agnès Noël is co-ordinating the European Microenvimet programme, which aims to understand and fight against the metastases by modulating the tumoral microenvironment.

Publications

CHABOTTAUX V., RICAUD S., HOST L., BLACHER S., PAYE A., THITY M., GAROFALAKIS A., PESTOURIE C., GOMBERT K., BRUYERE F., LEWANDOWSKY D., TAVITAN B., FOIDART JM., DUCONGE F., NOEL A., Membrane-Type 4 Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT4-MMP) induces lung metastasis by alteration of primary breast tumor vascular architecture, J Cell Mol Med. 2009 May 1. [Epub ahead of print].

BRUYERE F. et NOEL A., Lymphangiogenesis : in vitro and in vivo Models, dans The FASEB Journal, 2 septembre 2009.

BRUYERE F., MELEN-LAMALLE L., BLACHER S., ROLAND G., THIRY M., MOONS L., FRANKENNE F., CARMELIET P., ALITALO K., LIBERT C., SLEEMAN J.P., FOIFART J-M., NOEL A., Modeling lymphangiogenesis in a three-dimensional culture system, in Nat Methods, 2008 May;5(5):431-7.

NOEL A., JOST M. & MAQUOI, E., Matrix metalloproteinases at cancer tumor-host interface, in Semin Cell Dev Biol., 2008 19;52-60.

NOEL A., JOST M., LAMBERT V., LECOMTE J., RAKIC J.-M., Anti-angiogenic therapy of exudative age-related macular degeneration: current progress and emerging concepts, in TRENDS in Molecular Medecine 2007; 13(8):345-52.

JOST M, FOLGUERAS A R, FRERART F, PENDAS A M, BLACHER S, HOUARD X, BERNDT S., CATALDO D., ALVAREZ J., MELEN-LAMALLE L., FOIDART J-M., LOPEZ-OTIN C. & NOEL A ., Earlier onset of tumoral angiogenesis in matrix metalloproteinase-19 deficient mice, in Cancer Research, 2006; 66(10):5234-41.

CHABOTTAUX V., SOUNNI NE., ENGLISH W-R., VAN DEN BRULE F, GILLES C, MUNAUT C, MAQUOI E, LOPEZ-OTIN C, MURPHY G, FOIDART J-M & NOEL A, Membrane-Type 4-Matrix Metalloproteinase promotes breast cancer growth and metastase, in Cancer Research, 2006; 66(10):5165-72.

MASSON V., RODRIGUEZ DE LA BALLINA L., MUNAUT C., WIELOCKX B., JOST M., MAILLARD C., BLACHER S., BAJOU K., ITOH T., ITOHARA S., WERB Z., LIBERT C., FOIDART J.-M. & NOEL A., Double MMP-2 and MMP-9 deficiency impairs tumor vascularization and invasion of malignant keratinocytes, FASEB J, 2005, 19(2) :234-6.