Geneva University Neurocenter
Simon Braun

Simon Braun

Function: Assistant Professor

Group name: Laboratory of neuroepigenetics

Group type: Main

Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine

Domains: Development and Plasticity

Keywords: brain development, brain organoids, chromatin, epigenetics, neurodevelopmental disorders

Research activities

The goal of my research is to understand what drives brain cell diversity during development. Characterizing the diversity and function of neural cell types is essential to our understanding of complex brain functions. What remains poorly understood is what establishes the gene expression networks that determine a neural cell’s identity and how misregulation of this epigenetic process causes neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, my lab focuses on the role of chromatin regulators that control the compaction and accessibility of DNA to regulate gene expression. We use epigenome editing tools, human cortical organoids, mouse models and state-of-the-art genomic technologies, to study epigenetic regulation in the brain. With these novel approaches, we seek to unravel the molecular mechanisms that allow cell type-specific chromatin remodelers to regulate DNA accessibility at genes that promote distinct neural cell fates. Our aim is to restore chromatin remodeling activity in neurodevelopmental disorders, which are frequently associated with mutations in these epigenetic regulators.

Key publications

See the complete list of the publications

Contact

Faculté des sciences
Université de Genève
Email: Simon.Braun@unige.ch