On Friday, May 24, Arnauld Serge attended the Institute of Cancerology and Immunology Day at the Palais du Pharo, accompanying his two Master’s 2 students, Cyril Roty and Zacharie Nakache, who presented a poster detailing their research project titled: ”Imaging T-ALL cell transmigration: therapeutic potential of an anti-RANKL antibody to limit dissemination”.
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!
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
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
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 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.
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
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”.
In our lab, we celebrated Christmas with a festive lunch featuring a variety of delicious foods and sweets, along with a fun Secret Santa gift exchange. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the year, share memories, and enjoy good vibes with all the lab members. The event was filled with laughter and positivity. Here’s to another year of exciting projects and great moments together!
We are pleased to announce the publication of a review authored by Pierre Bongrand in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. This review examines the growing integration of artificial intelligence into everyday biomedical research and practice, questioning whether this represents a true scientific revolution or a temporary hubris of its potential.
The paper explores:
It is concluded that it is already warranted to apply artificial intelligence to routine biomedical practice, but it is essential to develop validation procedures.
Adhesion & Inflammation Lab 
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