What determines what a cell will become, and how can it change its fate?
Our team investigates the fundamental mechanisms that enable cells and tissues to transform during embryonic development and disease.  We study genome regulation, with a particular focus on enhancers, DNA sequences that control when, where, and to what extent genes are expressed. These regulatory elements are essential for establishing cell identity and for allowing cells to display plasticity, that is, to change state or function.
We study the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Essential during embryonic development, this transition is hijacked during metastatic cancer progression. By comparing EMT in physiological and pathological contexts, we aim to understand what distinguishes “functional” plasticity from “dysregulated” plasticity.
To address these questions, we use interdisciplinary approaches combining:
- stem cell-derived embryo models (pseudo-embryos),
- single-cell technologies to analyze genome regulation at cellular resolution,
- high-throughput sequencing technologies for chromatin analysis (ATAC-seq, MNase-seq, ChIP-seq, RNA-seq),
- live imaging microscopy to follow processes in real time,
- genome engineering tools (such as CRISPR/Cas9 and /dCas9) to directly test the function of regulatory elements.
We aim to better understand the fundamental principles that govern cell identity and to develop new experimental models to study the link between development and disease.
Our team welcomes curious, motivated students and postdoctoral researchers interested in developmental biology, genomics, imaging, and quantitative approaches, who are eager to work at the interface between fundamental biology and biomedical research.