Team research topics:

Our aim is to learn more about the regulation/dysregulation of key cerebral cortical cell types during

development, using disease genes as starting points, involved in cortical malformations and autism

spectrum disorder (ASD).

We study:

1. Trafficking, membrane and organelle mechanisms in progenitors and migrating neurons.
2. Axonal and connectivity mechanisms during cortical development.

These understudied mechanisms are characterized in progenitors, immature migrating and

differentiating neurons. For research questions related to malformations, we focus on neocortical and

hippocampal heterotopia models (knockout, knockin, knockdown). We also explore environmental

contributions to ASD in gene-environment (GxE) models, aiming to identify disrupted cellular

mechanisms during brain development. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models help us to assess

complementary mechanisms in human neural cells in 2 and 3D (organoid) cultures.

Main techniques used:

We use different types of models, characterized at molecular, subcellular, cellular, anatomical and/or behavioural levels. Main approaches include the use of Omics data, single cell and brain analyses, a combination of imaging approaches (confocal / video / light sheet, super-resolution microscopy, including FAST-SIM, cryo-electron microscopy in collaboration), as well as functional and behavioural studies.

Address :
17 Rue du Fer à Moulin 75005 Paris

Team leader :
Fiona Francis
Name of co-team leader :
Laurence Goutebroze
Administrative Contact Name :


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Key words : #Neurodéveloppement #Progeniteur #Neurone #Migration #Maladies #Neurologiques #Neuropsychiatriques #Neurodevelopment #Malformation #Progenitor #Migrating #neuron #Neurological #Neuropsychiatric #disorder