Maria-Elena
Torres-Padilla
Epigenetics and cell-fate in early mammalian development
Helmholtz Zentrum München
Munich
Germany
About Maria-Elena
Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla has 15 years of expertise in the field of developmental epigenetics and cellular plasticity using the mouse pre-implantation embryo, ES and 2-cell-like cells as a model system.
Research
The research within the Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells aims at establishing epigenetic principles behind changes in cellular plasticity, genome reprogramming and cellular decision making.
Maria-Elena and her group studies how the transitions in cell potency and cell fate are regulated by chromatin-mediated processes. They use a variety of approaches including quantitative imaging, modeling, functional genomics, computational methods and cell biology.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the maintenance and manipulation of cellular plasticity will have strong implications in regenerative medicine and disease, and will help in deciphering the mechanisms behind human reproduction and infertility.