Rate My Professor Marie-Christine Broillet

Marie-Christine Broillet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences within the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at the University of Lausanne, where she serves as Director of the department. She earned her PhD in 1993 from the University of Lausanne, conducting research on renal potassium channels under the supervision of Prof. Jean-Daniel Horisberger. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and held positions as Maître d'Enseignement et de Recherche (MER) and Privat-Docent (PD) in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Lausanne. Broillet also heads the Master of Science in Medical Biology program and is a member of the Faculty Unit of Toxicology.

Her research focuses on the molecular, cellular, and organismic mechanisms of danger sensing in the olfactory system, particularly the function of the Grueneberg ganglion in detecting predator-derived kairomones such as hydrogen sulfide, which trigger fear-related behaviors and influence food choices. Broillet has explored gaseous second messengers like nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide in vertebrate olfaction, as well as social transmission of food preferences and responses to environmental stressors. She has authored or co-authored over 40 research works, accumulating more than 1,778 citations. Notable publications include 'Hydrogen sulfide as a potent predator-derived kairomone mediating fear-related behavior' (2025), 'Environmental stress promotes the persistence of juvenile neurons in the Grueneberg ganglion' (2025), 'Development of an rpS6-Based Ex Vivo Assay for the Prediction of Individual Radiosensitivity' (2024), 'The Grueneberg ganglion controls odor-driven food choices' (2020, Communications Biology), 'Gaseous second messengers in vertebrate olfaction' (1996), and 'Detection of nitric oxide production by fluorescent indicators' (2002). Broillet has received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation for projects including 'Optimizing danger sensing: molecular, cellular and organismic strategies' and 'Chemical Danger Signaling via the Grueneberg Ganglion.' Her contributions have advanced understanding of sensory neurobiology and its implications for behavior and survival mechanisms.