CV Science

Valerie vidal PhD

Course and current status

_ Doctor of Philosophy (Edinburgh University - Scotland)

- Postdoc positions :

        Max Delbruck centrum - Berlin (Germany)

        The center for Life - Newcastle upon Tyne (UK)

        INSERM U636 - Nice (France)

- Now I fulfill a researcher position (CR1) at the INSERM Unit 636 in the laboratory of Andreas Schedl, Nice university (France)

Scientific summary

   The development of hair follicle (HF) involves finely tuned cross talks between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Once formed, HF undergo several rounds of cycling during life which are possible by the presence of HF stem cells giving rise to newly grown HF. HF development and maintainance/cycling involves several and numerous identified molecular pathways. When these pathways are becoming miss-regulated they give rise to cutaneous abnormalities/diseases. Thus working on HF development and cycling represents a great opportunity to analyse the stem cells biology and related diseases.

      We've shown that the gene encoding the transcription factor SOX9 is expressed in the most outer layer of the HF, the outer root sheath (ORS). In addition this gene is switched on in the HF stem cells. Sox9 is required for the maintainance of the ORS identity. The absence of SOX9 leads to the development of abnormal HF which lack stem cells. We've detected SOX9 activation in all the different subtypes of the basal cell carcinoma (BCC), in human and mice tissus. I'm currently investigating the role Sox9 plays in the formation of the BCC, it is an essential player in the formation of this cutaneaous cancer? what are SOX9 downstream targets?