Rate My Professor Frédéric Meunier

Professor Meunier's research centers on the molecular mechanisms governing vesicular trafficking within presynaptic nerve terminals and neurosecretory cells, elucidating how brain cells communicate and survive in health and disease. His laboratory employs advanced single-molecule imaging techniques to investigate synaptic vesicle priming, docking, fusion, bulk endocytosis, and the nanoscale organization of the synapse during neurotransmitter release. Key studies include the role of Munc18-1 in SNARE complex assembly, phosphoinositide regulation of exocytosis, botulinum neurotoxin effects on synaptic dynamics, and the discovery of saturated free fatty acids, such as myristic acid, in memory formation. Notable publications encompass 'Saturated free fatty acids and association with memory formation' (Nature Communications, 2021), 'Neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and infectivity' (Science, 2020), 'Visualizing endocytic recycling and trafficking in live neurons by subdiffractional tracking of internalized molecules' (Nature Protocols, 2017), 'Modular transient nanoclustering of activated β2-adrenergic receptors' (PNAS, 2020), and 'Frontotemporal dementia mutant Tau promotes aberrant Fyn nanoclustering' (eLife, 2019). His work has advanced understanding of neuroexocytosis, synaptic plasticity, and neurodegenerative diseases, supported by grants from NHMRC and ARC.