Reprogramming Stars #24:Pluripotency and Oncogenic Transformation:A Series of Intermingling Events—An Interview with Dr. Fabrice Lavial

REPROGRAMMING STAR: Dr. Fabrice Lavial is the team leader of the Cellular Reprogramming, Stem Cells, and Oncogenesis Laboratory at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon, France, and a research director at INSERM. Dr. Lavial’s lab joins the fields of developmental biology, cellular reprogramming, cancer biology, and bioinformatics to mechanistically understand embryonic development and the establishment of cellular identities. They explore the molecular mechanisms that control cell fate conversions in early development, reprogramming to pluripotency, transdifferentiation, and oncogenic transformation. Focusing on the regulation of cellular identity and plasticity, Dr. Lavial is interested in deciphering cellular and molecular networks that will lead to the development of nontumorigenic approaches for cell fate conversions in situ. Specifically, he and his group are trying to understand how we can harness the benefits of cellular reprogramming while avoiding cancer development.

Dr. Lavial’s lab is divided into two main themes: (1) control of cellular identity during reprogramming and oncogenic transformation and (2) pluripotent stem cell dynamics. The team’s first line of research aims to dissect the early molecular events of cellular reprogramming and transformation, using multi-omics approaches at the single-cell scale, 2D cellular models, 3D organoids, and murine genetic models. The second research subject focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling the self-renewal of pluripotent stem cells, as well as their ability to polarize and self-assemble. For that, the team uses models of embryonic or induced stem cells, cultured in 2D or induced to form 3D epiblast-like structures, as well as synthetic embryos.