© Vanessa Ribes

Vanessa Ribes' research converges towards understanding what regulates the dynamics in the state of cells, including their molecular identity, morphology, behaviour and physiology. Changes in cell states are inherent to the elaboration of complex tissues during development and underpin the emergence of diseases such as cancer.

“Out of the molecules controlling cell state dynamics, we focus on the PAX3 and PAX7 family of transcription factors. This family of proteins controls the maturation of many cell types in the embryos including the sensory neurones of the spinal cord."