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Exploring new avenues to develop tomorrow’s medical knowledge through an approach that integrates basic and clinical research

Our research units are led by principal investigators who collaborate in a spirit of collegiality and with the vision of bridging the gap between research and patients. They train the next generation of scientists and are independent and creative minds who work tirelessly to improve health.

 

Nicole
Francis

Director, Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance Research Unit

Current research

Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance

The ability of cells to acquire and maintain stable differentiated states is central to development. Nicole J. Francis’s lab is interested in how the gene expression patterns that define cellular states can be inherited across cell generations and how this might involve heritable changes to chromatin. The idea that chromatin structure carries heritable (epigenetic) information is attractive because of its conceptual simplicity—epigenetic and genetic information are inherited together. However, this idea raises questions about how chromatin features can be inherited through cell cycles since both DNA replication and mitosis disrupt chromatin structure. 

The goal of the team’s work is to discover the biochemical mechanisms that enable chromatin states to be propagated through DNA replication and mitosis. They address these questions using the Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins of Drosophila melanogaster.

Discover the Lab's website : www.francis-lab-epigenetics.ca

Available positions Clinical studies

Team
  • Anthony Usclat Assistant de recherche Research Assistant Anthony.Usclat@ircm.qc.ca
  • Ashish BIHANI Stagiaire postdoctoral Postdoctoral Fellow Ashish.Bihani@ircm.qc.ca
  • Melanie CANDIDO Adjointe administrative Administrative Assistant Melanie.Candido@ircm.qc.ca
  • Nanu PAL Étudiant au doctorat PhD Student Nanu.Pal@ircm.qc.ca
  • Olivia Wang Stagiaire avec crédits Intern With Credits Olivia.Wang@ircm.qc.ca
  • Pandimadevi Djamouna SIHOU Étudiante au doctorat PhD Student PandimadeviDjamouna.Sihou@ircm.qc.ca
  • Tim GEMEINHARDT Étudiant maîtrise Master's Student Tim.Gemeinhardt@ircm.qc.ca
Affiliations
  • Director, Systems Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Research Division
  • Director, Biochemistry of Epigenetic Inheritance Research Unit
  • Full IRCM Research Professor
  • Associate Research Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal
  • Research Scholar from the John-R.-Evans Leaders Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation
Degrees and experience
  • B.Sc. in Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC (1989-1993)
  • PhD in Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (1993-2000)
  • Postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Robert Kingston, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital (2000-2004), Boston, MA
  • Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2004-2008)
  • Associate Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2008-2012)
Publications

Protocols:

Research papers:

Ongoing Projects

How are chromatin states propagated though DNA replication
Current projects involve analyzing the behaviour of both PcG proteins and histones during DNA replication, and how chromatin structure is restored after DNA replication.

How are chromatin states propagated though mitosis
Current work aims to determine how and why PcG proteins are lost from some sites in mitosis but not others. Specifically the lab is interested in the chromatin structure of both types of sites in interphase and mitosis, and how PcG proteins are recruited to them. 

Important Discoveries

Tools

 
Press review
Press review
Grants
Recognitions and honors
  • Searle Scholar Award, Kinship Foundation
  • Basil O’Connor Scholar Award, March of Dimes
  • New Scholar Award, The Ellison Medical Foundation

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Available positions

Ongoing clinical studies

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514 987-5558
nicole.francis@ircm.qc.ca

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