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PEOPLE

A Collaborative & International Group

Group leader & Management

Fred RELAIX

Fred

RELAIX

Group Leader

My research programme aims at deciphering the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle maintenance and function in physiological or pathogenic conditions such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, preclinical modelling and establishment of innovative therapy with a strong focus on muscle stem cells development and function, impact of environmental stress, muscle stem cell heterogeneity, metabolism and interactions with the niche and local environment.

 

Contact: frederic.relaix {at} inserm.fr

Lila BENDAMECHE

Lila

BENDAMECHE

Financial Assistant

Financial support to the team for service/product ordering, budgeting, grant follow-up, and new recruits. 

Despoina MADEMTZOGLOU

Despoina

MADEMTZOGLOU

Project Manager

Excited to discuss satellite cell-, regeneration-, dystrophy-related projects in the lab and to write grant applications, reports, and conference proposals for these topics.

Contact: dmademtz {at} gmail.com

Academic Researchers (CR)

Marianne GERVAIS-TAUREL

Marianne

GERVAIS-TAUREL

Academic Researcher (CR)

In my group we are studying the impact of environmental stress, notably low oxygen and pollutants, on satellite cells, vascular cells and the myo-angiogenic coupling during muscle homeostasis and repair.

Contact: taurel {at} u-pec.fr

Philippos MOURIKIS

Philippos

MOURIKIS

Academic Researcher (CR)

Regulation of satellite cell quiescence with a focus on Notch signallng. Using innovative cell isolation techniques, our aim is to identify and characterize the factors that drive satellite cells into quiescence (development/regeneration), maintain them at this cell state during homeostasis, but also the factors that ignite their activation (regeneration and pathological conditions).

Contact: philippos.mourikis {at} inserm.fr

Associate Professors

Peggy LAFUSTE

Peggy

LAFUSTE

Associate Professor

Trying to decipher interactions between satellite cells and perivascular cells during growth and adulthood in physiological and pathological conditions.

Contact: peggy.lafuste {at} u-pec.fr

Stephanie MICHINEAU

Stephanie

MICHINEAU

Associate Professor

I am working on the impact of environment on muscle biology and more specifically on the impact of pollution and hypoxia on satellite and endothelial cells.

 

Contact: michineau {at} u-pec.fr 

Molecular Engineers

Frederic AURADE

Frederic

AURADE

Molecular Engineer

Bernadette DRAYTON-LIBOTTE

Bernadette

DRAYTON-LIBOTTE

Preclinical Model Manager

ES culture and maintenance

ES derivation and differentiation

Transgenesis (gene targetting via homologous recombination)

Juliette BERTHIER

Juliette

BERTHIER

Molecular Engineer

I work on a specific preparation of biologic samples : The clearing. The purpose of the clearing is to make optically transparent a whole or thick biological sample so that it can be observed in depth.

Contact: Juliette.berthier {at} inserm.fr

Post-docs

Matthew BOROK

Matthew

BOROK

Post-doc

I am using mass cytometry to study all populations participating in muscle regeneration, and investigating signals involved in macrophage polarization.

 

Contact: matthew.borok {at} inserm.fr

Audrey DER VARTANIAN

Audrey

DER VARTANIAN

Post-doc

The aim of my project is to identify the currently non-characterized impact of environment stress on muscle stem cells and decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved, including the role of the AHR stress pathway.

 

Contact: audrey.der-vartanian {at} inserm.fr

Joana ESTEVES DE LIMA

Joana

ESTEVES DE LIMA

Post-doc

I am interested in understanding how the generation and maintenance of skeletal muscle progenitors/stem cells is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms.

Contact: joana.esteves-de-lima {at} inserm.fr

Sergio  PEREZ DIAZ

Sergio 

PEREZ DIAZ

Post-doc

Unveiling the communication code between the adipose tissue and muscle progenitors in health and disease.

 

Contact: sergio.perez-diaz {at} inserm.fr

Alessio  ROTINI

Alessio 

ROTINI

Post-doc

I aim to get insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the sympathetic neurons can putatively modulate the maintenance of SCs and pericytes in their myovascular niche.

Contact: alessio.rotini {at} inserm.fr

Valentina TAGLIETTI

Valentina

TAGLIETTI

Post-doc

Decipher the relationship between Pax3 and the Dioxin receptor, named Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), during craniofacial development. In addition, I’m actively studying the role of Pax3 and Pax7 in regulating the gene regulatory network of somites and crest cells during evolution.

 

Contact: valentina.taglietti {at} inserm.fr

PhD students

I’m using ESCs to generate myogenic progenitors that express Pax3, a key upstream regulator of myogenesis. Exploring this population, I plan to reveal new direct targets of Pax3.

Contact: reem.abou.akar {at} gmail.com

Reem BOU-AKAR

Reem

BOU-AKAR

PhD student

Christelle  DUBOIS

Christelle 

DUBOIS

PhD student

My project is about the impact of environmental stress on the vascularisation of skeletal muscle, using exposure to a pollutant (TCDD) and chronic activation of the AHR stress-response pathway.

 

Contact: dubois2.christelle {at} gmail.com

Perla GEARA

Perla

GEARA

PhD student

Genetic and  molecular characterization of the role of the Krüpple - like factor KLF4 in adult skeletal muscle stem cells

 

Contact: perla.geara {at} inserm.fr

Stamatia GIOFTSIDI

Stamatia

GIOFTSIDI

PhD student

Establishment and regulation of quiescence on muscle stem cells.

Zeynab KOUMAIHA

Zeynab

KOUMAIHA

PhD student

I worked on multiple subjects during my PhD:

  • Pericytes and the relationship between the microvascular niche and the satellite cells

  • High sucrose diet induced obesity and its effect on homeostasis and regeneration of the skeletal muscle

  • HMADS as a support regeneration tool for skeletal muscle

Contact: zeynab.koumaiha {at} inserm.fr

Leo MACHADO

Leo

MACHADO

PhD student

I work in understanding how cells react to dissociation and subsequently promote ubiquitous and cell-specific transcriptional programs with a specific interest in skeletal muscle stem cells.

 

Contact: leo.machado {at} orange.fr

Marie QUETIN

Marie

QUETIN

PhD student

I’m interested in the effect of hypoxia on skeletal muscle repair and on muscle stem cell fate. 

Contact: marie.quetin {at} gmail.com

I'm working on the characterization of muscle stem cells status and capacities in human samples of lower limn skeletal muscle from patients presenting peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and their relation to endothelial cells under the effect of ischemia. 

Contact: josephtouma.md {at} gmail.com

Joseph TOUMA

Joseph

TOUMA

PhD student

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