Dr Morgane LeDrean
Biography
Dr. Morgane Eileen Le Dréan earned her BSc from Rennes 1 University (France) and Aston University (UK) and a Master’s in Cellular and Integrated Neurosciences from Strasbourg University (France). Awarded a competitive doctoral fellowship in 2020, she conducted PhD research at Nantes University (INSERM TENS U1235 lab – directed by Michel Neunlist - France), focusing on the gut-brain axis in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
After completing her PhD in 2023, Dr. Le Dréan received the prestigious MSCA INSPIRE Fellowship to continue her work at UCC and APC Microbiome Ireland (Cork – Ireland), investigating microbiota-ENS interactions in ASD and exploring microbiome-based therapies for autism-related gastrointestinal disorders.
Research Interests
Unravelling the Relationship Between Early Life Gut Microbiome Establishment and Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Autism SpecTrum DisordEr (ASD) – RELATE
Her research objectives are to:
Characterize the development of the gut microbiome, the enteric nervous system, and gastro-intestinal physiology in a mouse model of ASD compared to control mice
Profile the development of the enteric nervous system in vitro by examining cultured enteric neurons from ASD models and controls. Additionally, study the impact of ASD-associated microbiome metabolites on these neurons.
Her project work will advance the understanding of gastrointestinal disorders in ASD and identify microbiome-associated mediators that could serve as potential therapeutic targets.