Anne Brunet

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Associate Professor of Genetics, Stanford University

EDUCATION:
• 1992 BS Biology, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
• 1992-1997 PhD, Dr Jacques Pouysségur's laboratory, University of Nice, France
• 1998-2003 Post-doctoral training, Dr Michael Greenberg's laboratory, Harvard
Medical School, MA

HONORS AND AWARDS:
• 1992 BS summa cum laude
• 1993-1997 Pre-doctoral fellowship, Ecole Normale Supérieure
• 1993 EMBO Short-Term Fellowship
• 1997 EMBO Long-Term Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• 1998-2000 Human Frontier Science Program Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• 2000 Medical Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship
• 2000-2002 Goldenson-Berenberg Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Harvard Medical School
• 2003 Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies Fellowship
• 2003 Lacaze-Policart Lacassagne Prize (French Academy of Science)
• 2005 Pfizer/AFAR Innovation in Aging Research Award
• 2005 Klingenstein Award in the Neurosciences
• 2005 Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar Award (awarded)
• 2005 Damon Runyon Scholar Award (awarded)
• 2006 Sloan Research Fellowship
• 2006 Brain Tumor Foundation Award
• 2007 Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging
• 2007 McCormick Award for Women in Science
• 2008 California Institute of Regenerative Medicine New Faculty Award
• 2009 Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award
• 2010 Mentoring Award from the Stanford University Post-doctoral
Association

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
The overall goal of our lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of longevity. Organismal longevity is regulated by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Components of the signaling pathway that connect insulin to FOXO transcription factors (FOXOs) and SIRT deacetylases play a conserved role in the regulation of aging. However, how these pathways function to regulate lifespan is not well understood yet.

A first goal of the laboratory is to determine the molecular mechanisms of action of known longevity genes (FOXO and SIRT) in mammalian cells. We are particularly interested in deciphering the molecular logic by which these longevity genes translate environmental stimuli into changes in gene expression programs. We are using a combination of molecular, cellular, and high throughput genomic approaches to analyze the recruitment of these longevity genes to the chromatin in response to environmental stimuli, including nutrient stress, oxidative stress, and DNA damage.

A second focus of the laboratory is to determine the role of FOXOs in mammals, focusing on the nervous system. We are particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms of regulation of neural stem cells in the brain and in harnessing the regenerative potential of these cells. We are using a combination of mouse genetic approaches with the Cre/loxP recombination system and RNA interference approaches to perturb the expression of the FOXO and SIRT families in mice. We are studying the effect of these perturbations on the self-renewal and multipotency of neural stem cells in vitro and in vivo and on cognitive functions known to be affected with age, including learning and memory.

Finally, we are seeking to identify novel genes and processes that play an important role in aging. We are using genetics in the invertebrate worm C. elegans to identify the mechanisms of longevity induced by dietary restriction as well as to test the role of chromatin in the aging process. We are also developing a new model system for aging, the extremely short-lived African killifish N. furzeri to identify genes involved in longevity using a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis.

HOME PAGE
http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Anne_Brunet/