Research

Our vision

Acquiring new knowledge to decipher how cells divide, which is key to better understand the mechanisms of cancer, a disease caused by uncontrolled cell division.

Humans are roughly built from 10¹³ cells corresponding to 200 different cell types. All these cells are generated through cell divisions, starting from a single cell, the fertilized egg. During development a precise regulation of cell division processes is critical to generate the appropriate number of somatic cells, but also, to produce the gametes which are essential for sexual reproduction. Defects in cell cycle control can have drastic consequences, eventually leading to the development of cancers. The fundamental abnormality resulting in the development of cancer is the deregulated proliferation of cancer cells. Instead of responding to the signals that control normal cell, cancer cells grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner and eventually spread throughout the entire body. Despite considerable progress, the mechanisms regulating cell division remain poorly understood. This lack of knowledge has also considerably limited the development of innovative therapeutic approaches.

We use a combination of genetics, live cell imaging and biochemical approaches in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to identify the molecular mechanisms governing cell divisions. We are studying several aspects of cell division using the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo as a model system but we are also applying emerging paradigms in human cells.