BIO Edith Heard

Edith Heard

Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institute Curie, Paris FR  |  CV

Edith Heard is a pioneer of the study of the role of genome architecture in the process of X chromosome inactivation. She demonstrated that chromosome movements and reorganization need to take place during the choice of the chromosome that will be inactivated, and that the structure of the chromosome contributes to the choice. Her research rests on single cell technologies to which she contributed several key innovations. The goal of her lab (Mammalian Developmental Epigenetics lab, at Institut Curie) is to understand the regulation of gene expression during normal development, which is crucial for our understanding of the alterations that can lead to cancer. Using the process of X-chromosome inactivation as a model system, the lab is developing approaches to gain insights into the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the dynamics of gene expression during development and cellular differentiation, as well as during tumorigenesis.

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