Prof. Dr. Dominik Paquet

Keywords: iPSCs, CRISPR, Alzheimer, Stroke, tissue engineering

Brief research description: The PaquetLab aims to build human tissue models recapitulating major brain diseases. To establish these models, we apply and combine cutting-edge technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas genome editing, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), differentiation of iPSCs into human brain cells, and brain tissue engineering. Using these models, we want to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to nerve cell damage and death, and subsequent cognitive decline in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia, and neurovascular impairments including stroke and vascular cognitive impairment.

Current GSN Students: Julien Klimmt, Angelika Dannert, Joseph Kroeger, Merle Bublitz, Judit Gonzalez-Gallego (co-supervised), Sophie Robinson (co-supervised)

Graduated GSN Students: Dr. Isabel Weisheit, Dr. Liliana Pedro (co-supervised)

Selected publications:

Kwart D*, Paquet D*, Teo S, Tessier-Lavigne M. Precise and efficient scarless genome editing in stem cells using CORRECT. Nature Protocols Feb;12(2):329-354 (2017). *equal first authors

Paquet D*, Kwart D*, Chen A, Sproul AA, Jacob S, Teo S, Olsen KM, Gregg A, Noggle S & Tessier-Lavigne M. Efficient introduction of specific homo- and heterozygous mutations with CRISPR/Cas9. Nature 533, 125–129 (2016). *equal first authors

Plucińska G*, Paquet D*, Hruscha A, Godinho L, Haass C, Schmid B, Misgeld T. In vivo imaging of disease-related mitochondrial dynamics in a vertebrate model system. Journal of Neuroscience 32, 16203–16212 (2012). *equal first authors

Paquet D, Bhat R, Sydow A, Mandelkow EM, Berg S, Hellberg S, Fälting J, Distel M, Köster RW, Schmid B, Haass C. A zebrafish model of tauopathy allows in vivo imaging of neuronal cell death and drug evaluation. Journal of Clinical Investigation 119, 1382–1395 (2009)

Exner N, Treske B, Paquet D, Holmström K, Schiesling C, Gispert S, Carballo-Carbajal I, Berg D, Hoepken HH, Gasser T, Krüger R, Winklhofer KF, Vogel F, Reichert AS, Auburger G, Kahle PJ, Schmid B, Haass C. Loss-of-function of human PINK1 results in mitochondrial pathology and can be rescued by parkin. Journal of Neuroscience 27, 12413–12418 (2007).