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Centre for Trophoblast Research

 

Research

Research summary
I am interested in understanding the molecular events that coordinate early gastrulation and placental development. In particular, I would like to determine the roles and mechanism of action of specific transcription factors, which seem to play roles both in mesoderm and in placental specification. One of such genes is CDX2, which I have recently demonstrated to be a downstream target of BRACYURY in hESCs, and thus to represent an early mesoderm marker in BMP-treated hESCs. I would now like to determine how CDX2 induces a mesodermal program in one context and a placental program in the other context.

 

Funding: EU Plurisys

Publications

Key publications: 
  1. BRACHYURY and CDX2 mediate BMP-induced differentiation of human and mouse pluripotent stem cells into embryonic and extraembryonic lineages, Cell Stem Cell 2011 (in press).
  2. Biphasic induction of Pdx1 in mouse and human embryonic stem cells can mimic development of pancreatic beta-cells, Stem Cells 2009.
  3. Presence of endocrine and exocrine markers in EGFP-positive cells from the developing pancreas of a nestin/EGFP mouse, Mol. Cell Endocrinology 2006.
Postdoctoral Researcher