Menu
Team Leader :
Florence APPARAILLY
TEAM APPARAILLY
Our team aims at studying inflammation and immunomodulation in dysimmune chronic conditions. Gathering geneticists, clinicians and biologists, we wish to unravel heterogeneity and function of immune cells in the context of tissue inflammation driven by autoimmunity, infection and cancer.
We organize our common objective around 2 axes:
Axis 1: Study the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic inflammation
We aim at identifying molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the triggering, chronicity and resolution of the inflammatory response by focusing on genetic factors and immune cell subsets displaying homeostatic functions (Treg and myeloid cells) in autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders characterized by chronic joint inflammation.
Axis 2: Understand the development of physiological immunomodulation to develop targeted immuno-therapies
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and derived molecules (bi-specific Ab, nanobodies, Fc-fusion proteins, armed and/or genetically modified mAbs) form the main class of biotherapeutic molecules. They have come into force in the arsenal of therapy against pathologies associated with dysfunction of the immune system, such as cancer, infections, autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. We aim at addressing fundamental issues related to mechanisms of Ab-mediated immunomodulation in different pathogenic situations and at developing innovative therapeutic strategies.
Biography
After a master degree in cell biology and physiology (1st class honors) at the university of Tours (France), I was trained at the French National Institute of Agronomy (INRA) of Nouzilly (France) and obtained a PhD in physiology of reproduction at the university of Paris VI (1st class honors) in 1993. Then moved to US to study the cytokines and JAK/stat signaling pathway in reproduction at the Rockefeller university (New York). I joined Pr Jorgensen in Montpellier (France) in 1997 to work on the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis and to develop anti-inflammatory strategies based on gene therapy approaches. Then I got interested by RNA interference and focused my research on identifying key cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of inflammation, with a specific interest in microRNAs and monocytes/macrophages. I was recruited at INSERM in 2001 and since 2015 I lead an INSERM team of 30 people on inflammation and immunotherapies.
Twitter: @apparailly_lab