We address two major research questions in my lab: 1) we study the role of pericytes and its interactions with endothelial cells in all organs where hematopoietic stem cells travel during mouse ontogeny and 2) the role of pericytes:endothelial cell interaction in heart and kidney homeostasis and function.  Our in vivo studies have implications in both leukemia and cardiovascular disease.

Lab members:

Zaniah Gonzalez Galofre, postdoc

Diana Sa Da Bandeira, PhD student

David Craig, PhD student

Telma Ventura, Master student

BSc, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6, France (2001)

MSc, University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, France (2003).

PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA/ University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, France:

• Children’s Hospital (2003-2008), lab of Prof Bruno Péault. We have shown that pericytes are precursors of mesenchymal stem cells in human organs. In addition, we found that brown adipocyte progenitors reside in the human skeletal muscle.

• Hillman Cancer Centre (2006-2008), lab of Prof Laure Croisille, we studied pericytes in human prostate cancer.

Postdoc, Erasmus MC Stem Cell Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2008-2015), lab of Prof Elaine Dzierzak. We have shown that distinct types of hematopoietic stem cells can be prospectively isolated based on their responsiveness to developmental signalling pathways during mouse ontogeny and in adult.

• Christer Betsholtz (Uppsala, Sweden)

• Elaine Dzierzak (Univ. of  Edinburgh)

• Gillian Gray (Univ. of  Edinburgh)

• Kamil Kranc (Univ. of Edinburgh)

• Bruno Péault (Univ. of Edinburgh)

• Harmen van de Werken (Erasmus MC, Netherlands)

• Pamela Wenzel (Univ of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, USA)