What are stem cells? Do all tissues contain them and how many do we have? How do they contribute to create all the different cell types? What do they have to do with tissue regeneration or cancer initiation?

Professor of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Cédric Blanpain will take us into the world of stem cell biology. His research group in Brussels uses ‘lineage-tracing’ techniques, which are techniques to identify an individual cell together with all its daughter cells, to study the role of stem cells both in development and in tissues. They have uncovered the existence of stem cells playing a role for skin repair.

His lab uses mouse genetics to identify the origin of epithelial cancers. They identified the cell at the origin of the cancer and the mechanisms regulating the early steps of tumor initiation in the most common forms of skin cancer. His lab developed new approaches to unravel the mode of tumor growth within their natural environment and to understand the mechanisms regulating cancer stem cell functions.

After the talk, homemade cocktails chilled by dry ice at the bar and Monolithe Noire takes the stage. This French producer based in Brussels has a history in pop bands, but deconstructed his old composition techniques and instruments in favor of the modular synthesizer. Now his compositions are trippy ambient drones, infused with the beats and melodies of his pop music past.