Our project focuses on the general question “what are stem cells?” with a particular interest in how stemness might differ depending on tissues and contexts, in particular in regeneration and cancer.

We aim to address this question by integrating philosophy (what kind of property is stemness? Is the stem cell a natural kind or an artificial category of objects that are, in fact, very different?), phylogeny (what are the evolutionary relationships between various stem cell types?) and experimentation (how do stem cells differ [or not] in regeneration or cancers compared to development or homeostasis?)

Project Leaders: Lucie Laplane (Gustave Roussy, IHPST), Michel Vervoort (Institut Jacques Monod)