Isabelle Brunet

Isabelle Brunet is a leading neuroscientist and vascular biologist holding a permanent Inserm research position (ranked 1st) at the Interdisciplinary Center for Research in Biology (CIRB) of the Collège de France in Paris. She directs an 8-member research team investigating neurovascular interactions in development and disease using transgenic mouse/fish models, molecular approaches, and 3D-imaging techniques.

Her educational foundation includes a PhD in neuroscience under Alain Prochiantz and Christine Holt focusing on axon guidance in the visual system, followed by postdoctoral training with Anne Eichmann in vascular biology and angiogenesis. This dual expertise enables her unique perspective on neurovascular crosstalk.

Brunet's research centers on deciphering how neuronal and vascular systems interact during development and in pathological conditions. Her work explores guidance mechanisms (e.g., Ephrin-A4/EphA4, Netrin-1), arterial innervation dynamics, and lymphatic-vascular interactions, with significant implications for understanding chemotherapy-induced neuropathies and vascular disorders. She employs cutting-edge methodologies including tissue-clearing 3D imaging and functional assays to visualize neurovascular interfaces at cellular resolution.

Analysis of her 2014-2022 publications reveals consistent advancement in understanding neurovascular patterning, with particular emphasis on sympathetic innervation of arteries, perivascular macrophage heterogeneity, and Schwann cell-vascular interactions. Her work bridges fundamental developmental biology with translational applications in neuropathic pain and vascular pathologies.

Brunet actively contributes to scientific governance through evaluations for Inserm CSS, HCERES, Doctoral Schools, and journal/grant reviews. Her leadership extends to mentoring her research team and disseminating findings through publications and presentations.

The Molecular Control of Neurovascular Development laboratory at CIRB operates as a dynamic interdisciplinary hub where neuroscientists, vascular biologists, and imaging specialists collaborate using transgenic models and advanced microscopy to unravel neurovascular communication mechanisms. Current projects focus on functional consequences of neurovascular mispatterning in disease contexts.