Christopher De Bono Understanding the embryological origins of congenital diseases
Christopher de Bono, post-doctoral fellow, Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, under the supervision of Dr. Bernice Morrow.
- 2019 • Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers
The 2019 Bettencourt Young Researcher Prize was awarded to Christopher De Bono, post-doctoral fellow, for his research on the embryological origins of birth defects.
A journey inside the embryo
"I work on the embryological origins of birth defects. Congenital heart disease affects 1% of newborns. To better understand what causes it, I study the development of cells responsible for the formation of the heart and craniofacial structures.”
Dr. De Bono tracks each cell’s progress and uses single cell sequencing techniques to study the cells involved in the development of the heart, skeleton and nervous system. He analyzes the correct contribution of neural crest cells, a transient population of embryonic cells that form a large portion of bone, cartilage and neurons as well as part of the heart. He decodes the environmental signals that control these cells: the alteration of the signals is implicated in a pathology called DiGeorge syndrome.
His work may lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for the disease. They will also allow a better understanding of what causes congenital defects.
Christopher De Bono in a few words
2017: Doctoral dissertation: ""Study of the mechanisms regulating the addition of progenitor cells of the second cardiac field to the two poles of the murine core and the control of myogenic fate in the cardiopharyngeal mesoderm"", under the supervision of Dr. Robert Kelly, Institute of Developmental Biology of Marseilles, University of Aix-Marseille, Life and Health Sciences Graduate School - Specialization in Developmental Biology
Christopher de Bono, post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Bernice Morrow, Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York (United States)
Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers
Created in 1990, the Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers is one of the first initiatives of the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller. Until 2021, this prize was awarded each year to 14 young doctors of science or doctors of medicine, to enable them to carry out their post-doctoral stay in the best foreign laboratories. 349 young researchers were distinguished. The prize endowment was €25,000.
All the award-winners