PGI-8/ICS-8 Seminar: Sophie Pautot

Seminar of the PGI-8 / ICS-8:

Title:

Neuronal network engineering; a ball game

Speaker:

Sophie Pautot

Date: 28 April 2014 Time: 11:00

Venue: building 2.4w, seminar room 309b

Identifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is a fundamental challenge that incorporate large scale tissue architecture of diverse cell-types, with complex morphologies, spatial distribution, intrinsic molecular composition, short range cell-cell communication, resulting in highly specific functions that underlie brain circuitry. Although remarkable progress has been made to study neurogenesis and neuronal network wiring in vivo, reverse engineering of circuit genesis in an environment mimicking the brain organization in vitro is essential to elucidate basic mechanistic principles of neuronal function, and to develop a better conceptual understanding of neuronal circuitry. Here I will present how colloidal supports enable us to manipulate neuronal cell 3D environment and recapitulate in vitro extrinsic environmental factors as well as intrinsic signaling feature present in vivo to decipher signaling events involved in neurogenesis and neuronal circuit formation.