member

Previous page Stéphanie BAULAC PhD, DR1, INSERM Team "Genetics and physiopathology of epilepsy" https://www.baulacleguernepilepsy.com/ [stephanie.baulac@icm-institute.org]

Biography

Stéphanie Baulac is leader of the team “Genetics and physiopathology of epilepsy » (co-lead). She received a M.Sc. in human genetics in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Neurogenetics of the University Paris V René Descartes in 2001. She received in 2014 the Valerie Chamaillard Prize, an award from the French foundation for the research on epilepsy. In 2016, she was awarded an ERC consolidator grant. In 2019, she has been awarded the international Michael Prize, recognizing her significant contributions to the field of epilepsy (prize shared with B. Frauscher). Stéphanie is the scientific director of the iGenSeq (Genotyping and Sequencing Core) Facility of ICM.

Research work

Familial focal epilepsies & Focal epilepsies associated to malformations of cortical development such as Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD). Stéphanie BAULAC’s team investigates the focal epilepsies linked to the mTORC1 pathway through three main aims:
  • Assess the role and origin of brain somatic mutations in epilepsies with malformations of cortical development
  • Investigate the effect of mutations using patient’s iPSCs
  • Understand how mutations in the mTOR pathway genes contribute to epileptogenesis and seizures using mice models (in utero electroporation focal models and knockouts)

Publications

  • Chung C, Yang X, Bae T , Vong K, Mittal S , Conti V, Guerrini R, Devinsky O, Wilson A. Silva Jr 18, Helio R. Machado 7, Mathern G , Abyzov A, Baldassari S, Baulac S, Focal Cortical Dysplasia Neurogenetics Consortium &, Brain Somatic Mosaicism Network  and Gleeson J. (2023) Comprehensive multiomic profiling of somatic mutations in malformations of cortical development.Nat Genet. 2023 Feb;55(2):209-220.
  • Bacq A, Roussel D, Bonduelle T, Zagaglia S, Maletic M, Ribierre T, Adle-Biassette H, Marchal C, Jennesson M, An I, Picard F, Navarro V, Sisodiya S and Baulac. (2022) Cardiac investigations in sudden unexpected death in DEPDC5-related epilepsy.Annals of Neurology 2022 Jan;91(1):101-116.
  • Lee WS, Baldassari S, Stephenson S, Lockhart P, Baulac S * and Leventer RJ*. (2022) Cortical dysplasia and the mTOR pathway: how the study of human brain tissue has led to insights into epileptogenesis.International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2022 Jan 25;23(3):1344 doi: 10.3390/ijms23031344.
  • Baldassari S and Baulac S. (2022). Genetics of FCD: an emerging scenario; Book Chapter in « Focal Cortical Dysplasias: New Advances for Curing Epilepsy”, edited by Francine Chassoux and Andres Luis Fernandes Palmini (2022). John Libbey edition.
  • Blümcke I, Budday S, Poduri A, Lal D, Kobow K and Baulac S. (2021) Neocortical development and epilepsy: insights from focal cortical dysplasia and brain tumours.Lancet Neurology 2021 Nov;20(11):943-955.
  • Kim S*, Baldassari S*, Sim NS, Chipaux M, Dorfmüller G, Kim DS, Chang WS, Taly V, Lee JH and Baulac S. (2021) Detection of Brain Somatic Mutations in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Refractory Epilepsy Patients.Annals of Neurology Jun;89(6):1248-1252.
  • De Fusco A, Cerullo MS, Marte A, Michetti C, Romei A, Castroflorio E, Baulac S, Benfenati F (2020). Acute knockdown of Depdc5 leads to synaptic defects in mTOR-related epileptogenesis.Neurobiol of Disease. 2020;104822. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104822.
  • Baldassari S, Ribierre T, Marsan E, Adle-Biassette H, Ferrand-Sorbets S, Bulteau C, Dorison N, Fohlen M, Polivka M, Weckhuysen S, Dorfmüller G, Chipaux M, and Baulac S. (2019) Dissecting the genetic basis of focal cortical dysplasia: a large cohort study.Acta Neuropathol 2019 Dec;138(6):885-900.
  • Ribierre T, Deleuze C, Bacq A, Baldassari S, Marsan E, Chipaux M, Muraca G, Roussel D, Navarro V, Leguern E, Miles R and Baulac S (2018). Second-hit mosaic mutation in mTORC1 repressor DEPDC5 causes focal cortical dysplasia-associated epilepsy.Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jun 1;128(6):2452-2458.
  • Baulac S, Ishida S, Marsan E, Miquel C, Biraben A, Nguyen DK, Nordli D, Cossette P, Nguyen S, Lambrecq V, Vlaicu M, Daniau M, Bielle F, Andermann E, Andermann F, Leguern E, Chassoux F, Picard F (2015). Familial focal epilepsy with focal cortical dysplasia due to DEPDC5 mutations.Ann Neurol. Apr; 77(4): 675-83. Highlighted as Best Advances of 2015 by the Neurology Today Editorial Advisory Board.
  • Ishida S, Picard F, Rudolf G, Noé E, Achaz G, Thomas P, Genton P, Mundwiller E, Wolff M, Marescaux C, Miles R, Baulac M, Hirsch E, Leguern E and Baulac S (2013). Mutations of DEPDC5 cause autosomal dominant focal epilepsies. Nat Genet,Apr 26; 45(5): 552-5.