Laetitia Francelle

Dr. Laetitia Francelle is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology (Behavioral Neurology) at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly rare genetic disorders including Batten and Gaucher diseases, employing translational approaches to investigate disease mechanisms and develop novel therapeutics.

Education

• MS: Paris-Sud University, Orsay, France (2011)
• PhD: Paris-Sud University, Doctoral School “Signaling and Integrated Networks in Biology” (BioSigne) (2014)
• Postdoctoral Fellow: Heidelberg University / University Medical Center Goettingen, Department of Human Molecular Genetics / Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration (2018)
• Professional development in high-throughput techniques: University of Miami, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery (2019)
• Postdoctoral Fellow: Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Department of Neurology (2024)

Research Interests: Dr. Francelle's work centers on understanding the genetic underpinnings of neurodegenerative diseases and developing targeted therapies. She utilizes patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) neuronal models and mouse models to study lysosomal dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and the potential of RNA-targeted therapies. Her research aims to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical applications for rare genetic disorders through mechanistic investigations and therapeutic innovation.

Scientific Awards

• Outstanding Poster Presentation & Best Visual Presentation Award, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NDCN) Annual Meeting (2023)
• Nature journal Editors’ Choice: Neurodegenerative Disease, Nature journal (2020)
• Travel award, Summer School « Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine », University of Cologne, Germany, French Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (2012)

Advising and Grants: The provided information does not specify any doctoral students, master's students, or grant funding details for Dr. Francelle's research activities.

Labs and Teams: Dr. Francelle leads translational research projects in neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, utilizing advanced patient-derived iPSC neuronal cultures and mouse models within the Behavioral Neurology division. Her work focuses on lysosomal pathways and RNA-targeted interventions, though the specific laboratory name or team structure is not documented in the source material.