UMR1198- BREED

Reproductive, Environmental, Epigenetic and Developmental Biology Unit

This joint research unit on Reproductive, Environmental, Epigenetic and Developmental Biology (BREED) studies the effects of the environment on the reproduction, development during embryo and fetal life and the health of descendants. Scientists and hospital and veterinary clinicians work together on agronomy and biomedical research. The scientific objective is to understand and control epigenetic programming mechanisms during the prenatal life leading to the birth of an individual in good health, fertile and robust, capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions.

Research

The objectives of our research are to improve fertility and the efficacy of reproductive biotechnologies in man and animals, to study the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine offspring phenotypes (health, growth, fertility, etc) and to search for predictive and noninvasive biomarkers of these phenotypes, for which some could complete the genetic selection strategies in animals. The unit uses research involving several model animals (rabbits, ruminants, rodents, horses) and multiple and complementary imaging approaches that cover everything from the microscopic to whole-animal scale. In vitro models are also developed as alternatives to animal experimentation (primary cell cultures, organoids, embryoids). Altogether, our expertise and tools are completed by clinical studies performed by hospital practicians and veterinarians.

Research Teams

  •     Embryos and pluripotency: epigenetics and environment (EPEE)
  •     Gonad differentiation and perturbations (DGP)
  •     Placenta-Environment and phenotype programming (PEPPPS)
  •     Epigenetic mechanisms: Construction - Prédiction des Phénotypes (MECP2)
  •     Human reproduction and animal models (RHuMA)

Tutelage: INRAE-UVSQ-Université Paris-Saclay

Affiliation : Université Paris-Saclay GS Biosphera,INRAE Department PHASE 

Doctoral School : ABIES (ED581), BIOSIGNE (ED419), SDSV (ED577)