To generate our reproductive cells (the gametes), our cells use a double division called meiosis. It aims to create male or female gametes that consist of 23 chromosomes, not 46 chromosomes like the rest of our cells. This is so that these gametes can pair with a gamete of the opposite sex and create a new unique being with 46 chromosomes.
Corentin Claeys-Bouuaert, FNRS Qualified Researcher at the LIBST, is studying the complex molecular mechanisms necessary for DNA fragmentation and repair during meiosis, with the support of the FNRS and a prestigious ERC grant. The research is aimed at understanding the errors that can occur during this process and lead to diseases such as trisomy 21.