Laboratory of Neural Differentiation (NEDI)
Last update :
June 2022
General presentation
Our laboratory is interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate neuronal differentiation and migration during embryonic development, with a special focus on the spinal cord. In addition, we want to identify methods for harnessing these mechanisms to develop innovative strategies to treat central nervous system trauma and pathologies.
Our research projects are focused on identifying regulators, including transcription factors of the Onecut family and their downstream targets, of various aspects of spinal cord development. The projects developed in the lab relate to (i) the control of neuronal diversification in the developing spinal cord; (ii) the regulation of neuronal migration during spinal cord development; (iii) the development of the sensory system; (iv) the reactivation of developmental processes after lesion of the adult spinal cord; (v) the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the onset and progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Methodological approaches include phenotypic analysis of mutant mice, chicken embryonic spinal cord electroporation, organotypic culture of embryonic spinal cord explants, confocal or light-sheet microscopy, spinal cord lesions in adult mice, ALS mouse models and locomotor behavior analyses.
The lab welcomes postdoc fellows, PhD students and undergraduate students from Belgium and from abroad in the stimulating environment of the Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST), which comprises three research groups dedicated to the transcriptional regulation of nervous system development and maturation, with opportunities to work with various techniques from molecular biology to behavior analyses. For available opportunities, please contact Frédéric Clotman.
(English subtitles available)