Trained both in immunology and oncology at the Curie Institute in Paris, Dr Elisabeth Génot received her PhD at the University Pierre & Marie Curie. She specialized in signal transduction, particularly in the field of serine/threonine kinases and phosphatases at the University of Washington in Seattle (USA) under the guidance of Prof. Ed. Clark and Ed. Krebs. She then completed her training in intracellular signaling involving tyrosine kinases and the RhoGTPase protein family at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF, now part of Cancer Research UK and the Francis Crick Institute) in London (UK). After receiving a grant from the Welcome Trust, she set up her own lab at Imperial College (UK). She joined the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology (IECB) Bordeaux (France) as a group leader in 2002. Since then, her main area of research has focused on blood vessels. Studying the biology of endothelial cells, from microvessels to large arteries, both in vitro and in vivo, provides insights into improving the preservation, repair and regeneration of the vascular system. She has focused her work on the dynamic rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton, particularly the matrix-degrading organelles known as podosomes. This research has enabled her to develop her expertise in the extracellular matrix, particularly the endothelial basement membrane. Her latest work has revealed new functions of fibrillin in vascular biology. At BioTis, her team explores the interactions between endothelial cells and their microenvironment, at the crossroads of fundamental biology and regenerative medicine. She coordinates several innovative projects, including Fix-Fib and Fib-Eye, which aim to develop recombinant matrix proteins for therapeutic purposes, such as restoring vascular wall integrity, preserving vascular homeostasis, promoting endothelial sprouting or inhibiting pathological neovascularisation. These developments primarily concern retinal vasculature, periodontal ligament and the aorta itself. Through her multidisciplinary approach, combining cell biology, biochemistry, signalling and imaging, and her collaboration with chemists, microbiologists and clinicians, Elisabeth Génot is advancing our understanding of cellular dynamics in the vascular context and opening up new avenues for vessel repair and restoration of their homeostasis through extracellular matrix engineering.
