Biography

Denis Duboule was born in Geneva in 1955, and holds a doctorate in science. After heading a research group at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Eukaryotes (CNRS/INSERM) in Strasbourg (1986-1988), then at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg (Germany, 1988-1993), he was appointed Professor of Biology at the University of Geneva, where he headed the Department of Genetics and Evolution for twenty years. He is also Professor of Biology at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Professor at the Collège de France, between 2017 and 2021 on an international chair, then on the Evolution of Development and Genomes statutory chair, from 2022.

His research focuses on mammalian developmental genetics and genomics, interfacing with human genetics and evolutionary sciences. His laboratory seeks to understand how genes control the making of our bodies, in particular the function and regulation of Hox genes (architect genes) during vertebrate animal development.

Denis Duboule is also active in the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public through numerous media, and in the funding of research by national and European authorities and foundations. He has received numerous scientific awards and is a member of the Institut de France (Académie des sciences) and other academies such as the American Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the British Royal Society.

Publications

Selected bibliography

  • Coordinate Expression of the Murine HOX-5 Homeobox Containing Gene during Limb Pattern Formation

    Dollé P., Izpisúa-Belmonte J.-C., Falkentsein H., Renucci A. et Duboule, D., « Coordinate Expression of the Murine HOX-5 Homeobox Containing Gene during Limb Pattern Formation », Nature, vol. 342, 1989, p. 767-772.

  • Hox Gene Expression in Fins and the Origin of Vertebrate Digits

    Sordino P., Van der Hoeven F. et Duboule D., « Hox Gene Expression in Fins and the Origin of Vertebrate Digits », Nature, vol. 375, 1995, p. 678-681.

  • A Serial Deletion/Duplication Strategy in Vivo Suggests a Molecular Basis for Hoxd Genes Colinearity in Limbs

    Kmita M., Fraudeau N., Hérault Y et Duboule D., « A Serial Deletion/Duplication Strategy in Vivo Suggests a Molecular Basis for Hoxd Genes Colinearity in Limbs », Nature, vol. 420, 2002, p. 145-150.

  • A Global Control Region Defines a Chromosomal Landscape Containing the HoxD Cluster

    Spitz F., Gonzalez F. et Duboule D., « A Global Control Region Defines a Chromosomal Landscape Containing the HoxD Cluster », Cell, vol. 113, 2003, p. 405-417.

  • A Regulatory Archipelago Controls Hoxd Gene Expression in Developing Digits

    Montavon T., Soshnikova N., Mascrez B., Joye E., Thevenet L., Splinter E., de Laat W., Spitz F. et Duboule D., « A Regulatory Archipelago Controls Hoxd Gene Expression in Developing Digits », Cell, 147, 2011, p. 1132-1145.

  • A Switch between Topological Domains underlies Collinearity in Mouse Limbs

    Andrey G., Montavon T., Mascrez B., Gonzalez F., Noordermeer D., Leleu M., Trono D., Spitz F. et Duboule D., « A Switch between Topological Domains underlies Collinearity in Mouse Limbs », Science, 7 juin 2013.

Past chairs