Ricerc@Sapienza

From the beginning Prof. Bouché has been interested on the mechanisms regulating skeletal and cardiac muscle differentiation, histogenesis and remodeling in physiological and pathological conditions. In the last years her activity has been mostly focused on the identification of molecular targets for the therapy of degenerating myopathies, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is becoming clear that a finely regulated crosstalk between muscle cells, interstitial cells and immune cells, which includes endocrine/paracrine signals and cell-to-cell interactions, is required for muscle repair following damage, as well as for maintenance of muscle homeostasis. Alterations in these mechanisms lead to inefficient repair following acute injury or aging or genetic diseases, such as DMD.

Aim of Prof. Bouché research is to identify molecular targets to qualitatively modulate immune response in myopathies, in particular in DMD, to modify the microenvironment and favor tissue repair in replacing muscle loss.