Amel Setti Nasri

Research Overview

During my Ph.D. at Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies Montpellier University in France, I worked on the development of a protocol for exposure to pollutants on iALI (functional bronchial epithelium cultured at the air/liquid interface) generated from iPSCs derived-healthy donors and those with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). I first studied the effect of PM2.5, the particulate matter with the strongest effects on the respiratory tree, using scRNA-seq which highlighted different signaling pathways triggered by exposure to pollution. I also studied the interactions between the epithelial and the underlying mesenchymal compartments during early bronchial development. All of this work allowed me to gain substantial experience in stem-cell-based research, and in in silico analysis of large datasets.

In order to extend my knowledge in stem cell biology and early embryonic development, I aim to focus my research on models of human development as a program-specific researcher in the Alev group. I am particularly interested in the establishment of various embryo models of pre-, peri-, and post-implantation development using human, but also NHPs iPSC due to ethical reasons.
By expanding my previous research interests in in silico analysis, and by using omics-based technologies, I propose to understand the initial steps of non-human primate early embryonic development. Such knowledge will form the basis for generating in vitro models of early embryonic development in NHPs. These hold the potential to clarify the underlying mechanisms of early primate development, including species-specific features.

Biography

Amel obtained her Ph.D in Stem Cell Biology at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy, at the University of Montpellier in France, in June 2023. She was working on the role of lung mesenchyme during bronchial epithelium development derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, studying the effect of air pollution. She joined the Alev Group in ASHBi, Kyoto University, in January 2024.

Publications

Ahmed E., Fieldès M., Bourguignon B., Mianné J., Petit A., Nasri A., Foisset F., et al. “Generation of a Healthy Heavy Smoker Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line UHOMi007-A from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells”. Stem Cell Research, 103437, 4 May 2024.

Assou S., Ahmed E., Morichon L., Nasri A., F. Foisset, C. Bourdais, N. Gros, S. Tieo, A. Petit, I. Vachier, D. Muriaux, A. Bourdin, J. De Vos « The Transcriptome Landscape of the In Vitro Human Airway Epithelium Response to SARS-CoV-2 ». Int. J. Mol. Sci., July, 2023.

Mianné J., Nasri A., C. Nguyen Van, C. Bourguignon, M. Fieldès, E. Ahmed, C. Duthoit, et al. “CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Knockout and Interallelic Gene Conversion in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Non-Integrative Bacteriophage-Chimeric Retrovirus- like Particles.” BMC Biology 20, no. 1, January 7, 2022.

Nasri A., Florent Foisset, Engi Ahmed, Zakaria Lahmar, Isabelle Vachier, Christian Jorgensen, Said Assou, Arnaud Bourdin, John De Vos. “Roles of Mesenchymal Cells in the Lung: From Lung Development to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” Cells 10, no. 12 3467, December, 2021.

Ahmed E., Fieldes M., Mianné J., Bourguignon C., Nasri A., Vachier I., Assou S., Bourdin A.,De Vos J.. “Generation of Four Severe Early-Onset Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.” Stem Cell Research, 102550, September 27, 2021.