Despite the severe impact of the diseases of demyelination on patients’ lives and society, little is known about the processes of de/re/myelination. Our aim is to build a research group working on myelin physiology and pathologies affecting the nervous system. The main focuses are: (i) to identify new signaling pathways involved in myelination and demyelination; (ii) to examine their impact on nervous system pathologies (Multiple Sclerosis [MS], Nerve Injuries, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathies [DPN], Traumatic Brain Injuries [TBI]); (iii) to study the impact of the environmental factors (stress, pollutants) on normal myelination process and on enhancing insults to cause exacerbated demyelination and co-morbidity.

We will develop an interdisciplinary research based on preclinical and clinical approaches using molecular and cell biology, behavior, biophysics and physiology to study the myelination process as well as de/remyelination following pathological conditions. We will focus our work on oxysterol/LXR, dioxin/AhR and ADAM10 pathways as well as oxidative stress. Our project will allow deciphering the signaling pathways involved in myelination process and their dysregulation during demyelination. It will also open new avenues for the treatment of myelin pathologies.

Recent Publications

Article

• Activating ATF6 in spinal muscular atrophy promotes SMN expression and motor neuron survival through the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway.
  D’Amico D, Biondi O, Januel C, Bezier C, Sapaly D, Clerc Z, El Khoury M, Sundaram VK, Houdebine L, Josse T, Della Gaspera B, Martinat C, Massaad C, Weill L, Charbonnier F : Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol, 2022