Cloé is a 4th-year Ph.D student from Dr. Stéphane Noselli’s lab, which is interested in the establishment of the left-right asymmetries in Drosophila. While the lab has pioneered several research projects exploring the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind visceral chirality—a common trait among various species—left-right asymmetry in the nervous system remained unexplored. To fill this gap, Cloé embarked on an ambitious project: dissecting the signaling pathways responsible for the chirality of a subset of neurons, the “H-neurons” (see picture) that project asymmetrically into the asymmetrical bodies (AB), a pair of neuropiles localised within the central region of the brain. She contributed to the work revealing the molecular mechanisms controlling the asymmetrical projections of H-neurons into the right AB, as well as the role of H-neurons in maintaining long-term memory. This groundbreaking work has recently been published in the prestigious Nat.Comm journal. In addition to sharing her work, Cloé delighted our club attendees by treating them to homemade cookies and brownies.

For those interested in the tools used in this project, feel free to consult Cloé’s presentation on the iBV common server. Also, consider joining her PhD defense, the 12th of December which will followed by a sweet break.

(By Nicolas Roby)