IGBMC Recherche

Research interests :

Studies in Developmental Biology aim to understand the basic principles that govern the ontogenesis of embryos. Small animal models represent powerful systems for gene discovery and for dissecting cellular mechanisms controlling embryogenesis.

Work in the past 20 years has revealed that many human diseases, including cancer, are due to mutations or changes in the expression of genes that play a critical role during embryogenesis. Thus besides its fundamental aspects, work in the area of developmental biology offer real hopes of figuring out various aspects of human pathology.

Our department uses different model systems to investigate fundamental principles of development. Some projects directly attempt to create animal models of human diseases.

We work into four major areas:
- the development of the nervous system (P. Dollé, E. Georges-Labouesse, A. Giangrande, P. Heitzler, P. Ramain, F. Rijli)
- the specification and maintenance of stem cells and germ cells (N. Ghyselinck/M Mark, A. Giangrande, G. Gradwohl, P. Heitzler, S. Jarriault, P. Ramain, S. Viville)
- the biology of epithelia (E. Georges-Labouesse, M. Labouesse)
- the relationship between organ formation and disease (A. Giangrande, G. Gradwohl)

We use mouse (P. Dollé, E. Georges-Labouesse, N. Ghyselinck/M. Mark, G. Gradwohl, F. Rijli, S. Viville), Drosophila (A. Giangrande, P. Heitzler, P. Ramain) and C. elegans (S. Jarriault, M. Labouesse) models for our studies. All teams heavily rely on genetic analysis, and use in addition large-scale genomic approaches and/or imaging by electron and confocal microscopy.