This training, essential for the success of her PhD project, will enable Charline Ytier to acquire the skills needed to design and conduct animal experiments while respecting the most rigorous ethical and scientific principles.

In October 2024, Charline Ytier will begin her PhD under the supervision of F. Helmbacher. Her project, entitled "Modeling, modulation and monitoring of intramuscular fibroadiputic infiltrates", is supported by funding from the AFM-Telethon. The project, which will start at IBDM and continue at MMG in 2025, aims to better understand and modulate abnormalities of fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) in skeletal muscle. These abnormalities are responsible for the deleterious fibro-adipocyte deposits observed in numerous muscular pathologies.

The project is based on mouse models in which fibro-adipogenic drift is experimentally or genetically induced. It also integrates the use of viral AAV vectors to modulate these processes, and uses non-invasive bioluminescence imaging techniques for longitudinal monitoring of affected muscles. At the same time, human pluripotent cell cultures from patients will be used to model these mechanisms, creating synergy between approaches in mouse and human models.

Thanks to this Training, Charline Ytier will be able to design and conduct experimental protocols while mastering the principles of animal welfare and the concepts of the 3Rs (refinement, reduction, replacement). These skills are essential to guarantee the progress of her project, which aims to identify the mechanisms contributing to the formation of fibro-adipocyte deposits and to propose interventions modulating these processes.

The results of this Research could pave the way for new therapeutic options for patients suffering from muscle pathologies, strengthening the bridges between studies on murine and human models.