Isabelle Franceschini-Laurent (CRCN-HDR)

My first 12 years of research (PhD thesis in neurobiology at the University of Glasgow, postdoctoral studies at the Burnham Institute, La Jolla, USA and then at the Institut Pasteur in Paris) focused on the analysis of genes (polysialyltransferases), neural stem cells and glial cells (olfactory ensheathing cells, oligodendrocyte progenitors) involved in brain plasticity mechanisms and therefore with a strong potential for the development of gene and cell therapies for degenerative lesions and diseases of the central nervous system. I then joined the Physiology of Reproduction and Behaviour unit of INRA to study hypothalamic plasticity during physiological transitions related to the reproductive function (estrous and seasonal cycles) with an emphasis on neuropeptidergic circuits upstream of GnRH neurons and a particular interest in kisspeptin neurons For the last 12 years I have been interested in their ontogeny and sexual differentiation as well as their vulnerability to developmental or adult exposure to endocrine disruptors (BPA, phthalates). I am currently developing in vitro models aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanisms through which various hormones act on cellular differentiation/plasticity and the functioning of peptidergic neurons of the mediobasal hypothalamus during physiological transitions caused by these hormones.