Chromatin plasticity, cell fate and identity

Monday, September 7 | 11:20 am (CEST)

During development and throughout life, a variety of specialized cells must be generated to ensure the proper function of each tissue and organ. Chromatin dynamics plays a key role in determining cellular states, whether totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, or differentiated, therefore influencing cell fate decisions and reprogramming. In my laboratory we focus on the capacity of histone variants, chaperones, modifications, and heterochromatin factors to influence cell identity and its plasticity during development but also during disease onset and progression in particular cancer. Recent advances in single-cell technologies now allow to access to cellular trajectories both in healthy tissues and disease states with an unprecedented level of detail. With the LifeTime Initiative https://lifetime-fetflagship.eu, we have mobilized an interdisciplinary community at European level to exploit these approaches to understand how cells transition into a diseased state in order to detect and treat diseases before major tissue damage has occurred. By generating new knowledge and integrating it with new technological solutions in healthcare, we aim to intercept disease onset or progression based on a patient’s particular molecular and cellular signatures. LifeTime vision is based on research programmes directed to the patient and the implementation of a cell-based and interceptive medicine in Europe, leading to a significant improvement of citizens’ living quality.