Author: janaelhusseiny

LAI celebrated its newest Dr !

janaelhusseiny News, PhD defense

On the 23th of June 2025, Luc David Broglio successfully defended his work titled “Outils diagnostics pour l’immunologie basés sur la micro-impression d’anticorps“, under the supervision of Olivier Theodoly and Philippe Robert. This achievement was presented to a distinguished panel of experts in the field, including Charlotte Riviere, Sylvain Gabriele, Régis Costello, Sophie Asnacios and Vincent Studer.

We thank Luc for his dedicated work developing microchips printed with multiple functional proteins to measure the kinetics of leukocyte activation at the single-cell level. The entire lab warmly congratulates Luc for this important milestone and wishes him continued success in his future scientific endeavors!

External Seminar: Jay Groves’s

janaelhusseiny News, Seminar

We were delighted to host Jay Groves from the University of California, Berkeley, during his recent visit to Marseille. He was warmly welcomed by Pierre-Henri Puech (LAI) and Kheya Sengupta (CINaM). As part of the CENTURI Seminar Series, Jay Groves delivered a captivating talk titled:
“Phase transitions, mechanics, and stochastic timing in signal transmission from single T cell receptors.” His visit sparked rich and stimulating discussions on T cell activation, biomolecular condensates, and the biophysics of immune signaling, fostering valuable exchanges across multiple research teams. It was a real pleasure to welcome him and engage in thought-provoking conversations at the intersection of physics and immunology.
We extend our sincere thanks to Jay Groves for his inspiring visit and contribution.

Les Athlètes Improbables Take on La Marseillaise des Femmes for the Third Time!

janaelhusseiny Lab life

We’re proud to share that our lab team, “Les Athlètes Improbables,” has marked their third consecutive participation in La Marseillaise des Femmes! With the support of INSERM, our runners took on this empowering race in solidarity with women’s rights and breast cancer research.

After months of training, the team once again displayed exceptional determination, teamwork, and spirit. The tradition continues, along with our weekly runs through the beautiful trails of the Calanques.

Congratulations to all participants!

Les Houches: Immunobiophysics EMBO workshop 2025

janaelhusseiny Conferences, News

Building on the success of the virtual (2021) and hybrid (2023) events, the third edition of the hybrid workshop on ImmunoBiophysics: From Fundamental Physics to Understanding the Immune Response took place from 27 April to 2 May 2025 in Les Houches, France.

This year’s workshop focused on immune cell regulation from a distinctly physical and mechanical perspective, with the aim of advancing opportunities for translational impact in human health and disease.

In our laboratory, Pierre-Henri Puech, one of the co-organizers, opened the conference with a foundational talk on immunobiophysics. Philippe Robert was among the invited speakers and delivered a presentation titled “CD16 Transmits Defined Piconewton Forces During Natural Killer Cell Activation.” Our Ph.D. student, Gaurav Verma, also contributed to the event by presenting a poster on his current research project titled “Edit-T-cell Spreading Dynamics Mediated by New Bispecific Agents“.

For more information, please visit: https://meetings.embo.org/event/25-immunobiophysics

Centuri Retreat 2025 !

janaelhusseiny News

Five PhD students from our lab, Jad Sleiman, Gaurav Verma, Ahmad Awada, Marie Dessard and Jana El Husseiny participated in the recent CENTURI retreat, held in Gorges du Verdon from April 23 to 25, 2025. The event brought together PhD students and postdocs for a diverse program of scientific exchange, skill-building workshops, and outdoor activities. Attendees took part in sessions ranging from microscopy and debating to kayaking and astronomy, all designed to strengthen our academic community.

We extend our sincere thanks to the CENTURI organizing and administrative committees for making this event possible.

Photo credits: Rémi Wojciechowski – CENTURI

A new article on “Microvalve-based gradient generators to control flow-free, time zero and long term conditions”

janaelhusseiny Article

Experiments with gradients of soluble bioactive species have significantly advanced with microfluidic developments that enable cell observation and stringent control of environmental conditions. While some methodologies rely on flow to establish gradients, other opt for flow-free conditions, which is particularly beneficial for studying non-adherent and/or shear-sensitive cells. In flow-free devices, bioactive species diffuse either through resistive microchannels in “microchannel-based” devices, a porous membrane in “membrane-based” devices, or a hydrogel in “gel-based” devices. However, despite significant advancements over traditional methods such as “Boyden chambers”, these technologies have not widely disseminated in biological laboratories, arguably due to entrenched practices and the intricate skills required for conducting microfluidic assays. Here, we integrated Quake-type pneumatic microvalves in place of microgrooves, membranes, or gels, and developed devices with precise control over residual flow, establishment initial gradient, and long-term stability of gradients. The “Microvalve-based” approach enables the generation of the automatization of delicate microfluidic manipulations, which paves the way for routine applications of controlled and tunable flow-free gradients in academic laboratories and biomedical units.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4LC00901K

Philippe Robert’s HDR: TCR & Antibody Kinetics via Laminar Flow Chamber, Medical Applications, and Microprinted Assays

janaelhusseiny News

Philippe Robert defended his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches on February the 14th, 2025. He presented his work on the measurement of kinetics of TCRs and antibody-antigen bonds at the single molecular level under physiological forces, with numerous methodological developments that accompanied it. He also described medical applications of the method, with results regarding the quantification of leukocyte-endothelium interactions during inflammation and thrombosis. Finally, he presented the current state of development of microprinted assays for quantification of leukocyte functions that he patented with Olivier Theodoly, that aim to bring to routine use for patients functionnal assays that are currently too slow and expensive to be used in the hospital. 

Lauréat de l’appel à projets 2025 du Canceropôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

janaelhusseiny News

The project Microchip-based Functional Leukocyte Testing for Immunotherapy, led by Olivier Theodoly and Philippe Robert, has been selected as a 2025 Canceropôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur grant recipient.

The project is based on an innovative technology developed at the Laboratory of Adhesion & Inflammation (LAI) in Marseille and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences (IINS) in Bordeaux, patented in collaboration with CNRS Innovation. Using molecular microprinting, this approach enables the fabrication of microchips with precisely controlled amounts and micrometer-scale patterns of multiple antibodies.

The goal is to make these microchips suitable for routine hospital use, providing a more accessible alternative to conventional techniques, which are often costly and time-consuming for hospital technicians. By developing these new tools, this project contributes to advancing rapid diagnostic solutions and personalized patient monitoring in immunotherapy.

The awardees were honored at a special event hosted by Canceropôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur on January 31, 2025, at the Musée Regards de Provence in Marseille.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/40ZFvZW

TPR2 INSERM Meeting

janaelhusseiny News, Seminar

On January 10, 2025, a half-day “TPR2 Inserm Meeting” at Hexagone, was held to bring together the four single-teams and shared services housed in TPR2 building.
This convivial event gave the building’s staff the opportunity to meet each other and consider new opportunities for collaborations.
The event ended with a traditional “Galette des rois”.