Piotr Topilkoi is currently Professor of Histology and Embryology at the University of Créteil (France) and Head of the "Neurofibromatosis Type 1" research group at the Mondor Institute for Biomedical Research.
Professor Topilko leads pioneering research in peripheral nerve development and neurofibromatosis type 1. He is internationally recognized for identifying Krox20 as a master transcription factor regulating hindbrain segmentation, Schwann cell myelination and as a marker of boundary cap cells (BCCs), cells that are considered potential origins of neurofibromas. For these groundbreaking contributions, he was awarded the prestigious Fondation de France Prize. His current research focuses on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurofibroma pathogenesis, including their progression to malignancy. His team has developed both spontaneous and inducible animal models that faithfully reproduce key features of the human disease, including cutaneous, neuronal, and skeletal manifestations. These models have led to seminal insights, particularly into the role of inflammation and nerve innervation in the development of cutaneous neurofibromas (cNFs). Building on these findings, his group has established a robust drug discovery platform aimed at preventing and treating cNFs, with several promising applications already in place.