Professor Pierre Leopold, PIFI Distinguished Scientist from the Curie Institute, France, visited IBP on May 28, 2026, at the invitation of Professor Yan Li from the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health. He gave a Bei Shizhang Lecture entitled Control of Tissue Growth and Organ Size.

Professor Pierre Leopold is an internationally renowned developmental biologist and a member of several prestigious scientific bodies, including the European Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). He served as a research group leader at the University of Nice from 1998 to 2018. Since 2019, he has been the Director of the Genetics and Developmental Biology Research Department at the Curie Institute.

Utilizing the Drosophila model and integrating genetic and physiological approaches, Professor Leopold's research reveals how nutrients regulate growth through the fat body TOR pathway and inter-organ endocrine signals. His work elucidates the coordinated control of development by insulin/IGF and ecdysone, and led to the discovery of a Dilp8-Lgr3-mediated hormonal checkpoint. This explains how tissue damage or tumors systematically regulate organ proportions and the termination of the juvenile period. In recent years, his research has focused on the genetic regulation of developmental precision, covering normal physiology, hormonal pathway anomalies, tumorigenesis, and metabolic disorders during tissue regeneration.

During the lecture, Professor Leopold systematically elaborated on the unique value and application advantages of Drosophila as a classic model organism in fundamental developmental biology research. He also shared in-depth insights into the core biological functions of the fat body, focusing on the complete molecular mechanisms by which the fat body senses the body's nutritional status and dynamically regulates systemic growth rates. He comprehensively analyzed the central regulatory role of the fat body's TOR pathway in biological growth and individual development.

During the visit, Professor Pierre Leopold had in-depth exchanges with faculty and students from the Institute of Biophysics, and explored potential collaborative research in developmental biology and metabolic regulation, contributing to the advancement of the China-France Flagship Cooperation Program on Interdisciplinary Research for Healthy Aging.

Professor Pierre Leopold was giving the lecture

Prof. Li Liu and Prof. Pierre Leopold