About the PI
As a PhD student, I was fascinated by the complexity of cell-to-cell communication in embryonic stem cells and its pleiotropic functions in the embryo (De Jaime-Soguero et al., PLoS Genetics 2017, Lo Nigro*, De Jaime-Soguero* et al. Stem Cell Reports 2018, Athanasouli, Bali, de Jaime-Soguero# et al. Nature Communications 2023). During this time, I developed a mechanistic mindset to dissect signaling cascades –including Wnt signaling–, their downstream transcriptional regulators and to depict their functions across biological scales, including during blastocyst development or tumorigenesis.
As a postdoc, I expanded my interest to the post-transcriptional regulation of Wnt signaling beyond β-catenin. I co-discovered a novel regulator of intestinal stem cell homeostasis, the deubiquitinase USP42, within the ZNRF3/RNF43/LGR signaling axis (Giebel*, de Jaime-Soguero* et al. EMBO Reports 2021). We further demonstrated that USP42 is frequently mutated in colorectal cancer (CRC), and that its loss promotes hyperproliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through Wnt hyperactivation. In parallel, we uncovered an unexpected function of Wnt signaling in mitosis; both somatic and pluripotent stem cells require basal activity of the pathway to ensure timely chromosome condensation via regulation of the kinesin KIF2A (Bufe et al. PNAS 2021). Given the crucial roles of Wnt in stem cell renewal and development, these results led me to question whether embryonic patterning signals could play a broader role in regulating chromosome integrity.
If you ask any developmental or reproductive biologist about chromosomal instability in the early human embryo, they will likely say its rampant and one of the major hallmarks and contributors to spontaneous early miscarriage, yet its underlying causes remain poorly understood. As a postdoc, taking advantage of my experience in stem bell-based modeling, I discovered that patterning signals do not only read our genetic blueprints, but have a moonlighting role in their maintenance. Wnt, BMP, Nodal or FGF cascades not only orchestrate embryo patterning and cell fate acquisition, but also govern chromosome stability across early human lineages by modulating DNA replication dynamics in S-phase (De Jaime-Soguero et al. Nature Communications 2024, Acebron & De Jaime-Soguero, BioEssays 2026). Notably, I found that pluripotency and neurogenesis represent particularly vulnerable developmental windows to genome instability, consistent with the high levels of chromosomal mosaicism observed during preimplantation and in the developing brain. Our discovery opened new biology to be explored beyond morphogen patterning. For instance, recent studies have shown that BMP signaling preserve genome integrity during heart regeneration or primordial germ cell development by replication stress alleviation (Zheng et al. Nature Communications 2026; Vasudevarao et al. Nature Communications 2025).
In parallel, we proposed improved human pluripotent stem cell conditions to reduce long-term chromosome instability through mild inhibition of GSK3 kinase, which alleviates replicative stress without altering pluripotency and differentiation capacity (De Jaime-Soguero et al. bioRxiv, 2025). These studies sparked my interest in understanding how different cell types selectively respond to genomic stress and whether this variability reflects adaptation to distinct microenvironmental conditions during early development.
My lab aims to unravel the molecular networks that enable early human lineages to sense, integrate and respond to diverse microenvironmental perturbations, and to determine how these responses shape chromosomal mosaicism and developmental robustness. To address these questions, we combine single-cell and population OMICs (RNA-seq, scEdU-seq, scG&T-seq), live imaging, genome-editing and molecular analyses with i) 2D/3D stem cell based models of mouse/human development (including blastoids or gastruloids), and ii) in vivo approaches using preimplantation and early post-implantation mouse embryos. For in vivo imaging, we closely collaborate with the group of Isabelle Migeotte ( IRIBHM-ULB), a leading expert in whole-embryo imaging. Our work ultimately aims to uncover how different forms of cellular stress –including oxidative, protein folding, mechanical– impact genome integrity in a cell-type specific manner during early development, providing a rationale for the establishment of developmental robustness.
Beyond research, I have been extremely active in mentoring and supporting young researchers. Over the past eleven years, I have mentored more than 35 students across BSc, MSc and PhD levels at leading European institutions (CRG, KU Leuven, Heidelberg University, ULB). Supporting their scientific and career development is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. Additionally, I have also served as postdoctoral representative at COS Heidelberg, contributed to interdisciplinary science communication initiatives (Young Marsilius Kolleg Fellows 2022, Heidelberg) and organized international guest seminars at KU Leuven and now at ULB. Beyond management and leadership, I have developed and taught courses in stem cell and developmental biology that integrate scientific competences as core parts of the teaching program. Since 2026, I have served as an In Preprints Editor for Development (The Company of Biologists), where I highlight and commission articles showcasing emerging directions in stem cell and developmental embryology research (https://journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/editor-bios).
CV – Anchel de Jaime-Soguero
Professional career after scientific training
10/24 – Group Leader, Developmental Resilience lab. IRIBHM-J.E. Dumont Institute, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
07/19 – 09/24 Postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University (Germany). Advisor: Prof. Sergio P. Acebron
12/18 – 06/19 Transitioning postdoc at Stem Cell Institute Leuven, KU Leuven (Belgium). Advisor: Prof. Frederic Lluis
Academic education
2018 PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Stem Cell Institute Leuven, KU Leuven (Belgium). Thesis: Non-overlapping functions of the TCF/LEF family factors in mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Advisor: Prof. Frederic Lluis
2014 MSc in Biomedicine, University of the Barcelona and Center for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona, Spain)
2013 BSc in Biotechnology, University of the Valencia (Spain)
Selected awards and grant funding
2025 FNRS-Mandat d’Impulsion Scientifique
2024 Actions Blanches 2024
2022 Young Marsilius Kolleg Fellow in Life Sciences, Heidelberg
2019 – 21 Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral fellow
2015 – 19 Emmanuele van der Schueren PhD fellowship and Postdoctoral KU Leuven mandate