Anu Bashamboo

Dr. Anu Bashamboo is a pioneer in the fields of clinical genomics and reproductive biology. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2002 from the National Institute of Immunology (New Delhi), specializing in the clinical genomics of human reproduction, followed by postdoctoral fellowship (2002-2007) in stem cell biology at the University of Edinburgh. This dual expertise in genomics and stem cell biology has shaped her career since 2008 at the Institut Pasteur, where she leads a group in the unit of human developmental genetics. Dr. Bashamboo has identified many novel genetic causes of DSD, expanded their phenotypic spectrum and identified new genetic causes of human infertility. With over 100 highly cited publications in reproductive biology, her work has substantially advanced both fundamental understanding of human gonad formation and the genetic diagnosis for DSD. Dr. Bashamboo is a world leader in human gonad organoid development. In 2023 she created the first human testis organoid that accurately recapitulates in vivo development and was used to functionally assess both coding and non-coding genetic variants that cause DSD. More recently, she successfully engineered a human ovarian organoid that accurately mirrors each stage of fetal granulosa cell development, exhibits key granulosa cell functions, including estradiol production and the ability to support germ cell maturation, and can model an ovarian form of DSD. This represents a powerful new tool for uderstanding granulosa cell biology and modeling ovarian disease. In recognition of her contributions to reproductive biology, she has received prestigious national and international awards, including the Royan International Award for Reproductive Genetics, the Prix Jayle for Reproductive Biology (French Academy of Sciences) and the Henning Anderson Prize (ESPE). Dr. Bashamboo has served on the advisory board of the I-DSD International Registry and is a member of the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST). She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Sexual Development (Karger). Her work constitutes a transformative advance in both fundamental and translational human reproductive biology.