Thesis Prize SFBD 2019: Dr. Meryem Baghdadi

First prize :
→ Invitation to give a plenary talk during the EDBC meeting in Alicante, 23 – 26 October, 2019

→ Prize of 1000 €

In 2019, the SFBD thesis prize was awarded to Dr. Meryem Baghdadi for her doctorate entitled: « Regulation of adult muscle stem cell quiescence by Notch signaling ». Her work has been published in Nature and Cell Stem Cell. Meryem Baghdadi did her thesis under the supervision of  Pr. Shahragim Tajbakhsh et Dr. Philippos Mourikis, in the laboratory « Stem cells and development » at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris. 

About the winner :

The thesis work of Meryem Baghdadi revealed two spectacular new modes of action for the Notch signaling pathway to maintain the quiescence of muscle stem cells in the adult niche. On the one hand Notch acts by stimulating the synthesis of Collagen V, which is a major molecule of the extracellular matrix of the niche; on the other hand Notch induces the expression of a specific microRNA which acts by inhibiting the expression of genes necessary for migration, thus preventing the exit and differentiation of stem cells out of the niche.