We study tumor-associated microglia/macrophages (TAMs) for their potential as targets for glioblastoma therapies. Tumor cells, but also tumor-initiating cells, regulate these immune cells and trigger their tumor-supportive activities. Our objectives are to characterize the nature of the signals that underlie this regulation, with a special emphasis on macrophage immunometabolism and metabolic changes taking place during cancer progression (e.g. glutamate metabolism). We test the possibility to translate our results into potential therapeutic strategies by using a three-dimensional spheroid culture system under appropriate oxygen condition (physioxia and hypoxia).

In tight collaboration with Prof. Rodrigo Mora, University of Costa Rica, an expert in Systems Biology and Computational Biology, we currently are addressing the role of miRNA-mediated circuits that control the transition of macrophages between various inflammatory states. For that purpose, we are working on the construction of complex networks of miRNAs and transcription factors regulating gene expression at the transcriptional level. We will be also including protein level regulation and lncRNAs. To achieve this goal, Prof. Mora developed a biocomputational platform that also enables to visualize those networks with Cytoscape and automatically construct ODE-based models for parameter estimation, simulation and analysis using COPASI. Using these tools, we are working on the topics of bistability in macrophage phenotypic transitions and gene dosage compensation in aneuploid cancer. In addition, we are starting to work with COBRA toolbox to achieve metabolic reconstruction of macrophages and cancer cells.

Positions held

Since 2013  
Research Group Leader at the Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

2001-2012  
Research Group Leader at the Unité INSERM 701/DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany.

1995-2000  
Research Group Leader at the Department of Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

1992-1994  
Scientist at the CIML, Marseille, France

Since 1992  
Permanent position at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France

1989-1991  
Post-doctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Department of Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Education

1998/2001/2013  
“Habilitation” in Immunology (Marseille, France) and Cell Biology (Heidelberg and Mainz, Germany)

1989  
PhD in Immunology, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML), Marseille, France