LMCB - Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology
Postdoctoral Fellow, Paluch Lab
a.chaigne@ucl.ac.uk
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2016 | Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship2016 | Human Frontier Science Program Post-Doctoral Fellowship2015 | Young researcher prize, Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation2015 | PhD prize Le Monde de la Recherche Universitaire2015 | Travel Grant, EMBO workshop2015 | Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting alumni2014 | Student award and poster Prize, “Physics and Biological Systems” meeting2013 | ITMO BCDE Grant, ASCB Meeting (declined)2013 | Société de Biologie Cellulaire Française Grant, ASCB Meeting
I am interested in how cells control their shape and sizes and how this is important for cell function. Many cells divide symmetrically but some cells can divide asymmetrically in size generating two cells of different volume.Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells that can give rise to the three germ layers. Evidence indicates they can maintain pluripotency whilst giving rise to progenitor cells for all the embryo cells, suggesting that they are capable of asymmetric division. However, the cell biology of embryonic stem cell division is poorly understood. Interestingly, embryonic stem cells have mechanical properties very different from their differentiated counterparts, and their fate is strongly influenced by the mechanical properties of the substrate, suggesting that stem cell division might be asymmetric with respect to daughter cell mechanics. Using live microscopy and microfabrication, I am currently investigating how cell division is regulated in mouse embryonic stem cells.
Wellcome Trust