Welcome to the Helmbacher lab.

Development and pathologies of Neuromuscular circuits

Research in our team aims to understand processes that control the development of neuromuscular circuits, and to uncover how alterations of these developmental processes lead to devastating neuromuscular pathologies in human.

We investigate the mechanisms that shape skeletal muscles and coordinate connectivity between spinal motor neurons and muscles, an essential process for the control of locomotion. Our current work focuses on the role of adhesion molecules controlling both neuronal connectivity and muscle shape, and owing to this work, have recently discovered the roots of a human myopathy: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.