The Stem Cells Biology Laboratory (SCL) investigates mostly the molecular mechanisms involved in pluripotency, heart development and cardiomyopathies using embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). We are particularly interested in the identification of pathways and genes controlling the establishment and the maintenance of pluripotent stem cells (ESC and iPSC), and we have used these cells to unravel the early mechanisms of cardiovascular differentiation and congenital heart disease. Importantly, we have identified molecules in the ESC’s secretome that can rescue the lethality and heart developmental defects of deficient zebrafish embryos, when supplemented at 1-cell stage. Recently, we have also gained interest in understanding the mechanisms involved in the stemness and biology of cancer stem cells.