Understanding the transport and retention of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts through soils and into ground and surface water is essential for determining the risk this parasite poses to water resources and human health worldwide. We studied here how various naturally occurring groundwater solutions containing different types of organic compounds (fulvic and humic acids) and electrolytes (NaCl, MgCl2, CaCl2) at different concentrations can affect the transport and retention of oocysts in engineered-saturated silica sand columns subjected to continuous flow to simulate the movement of groundwater through an aquifer. Breakthrough curve results from the qPCR analysis were then compared to non-reactive tracer tests to determine parameters that govern the transport of oocysts in saturated porous media. Though breakthrough of oocysts was observed in all tested solutions, higher ionic strength and ion valency resulted in greater oocyst retention. When both organic matter and electrolyte solutions were added to the systems, the electrolyte solutions displayed a far greater influence on parasite retention when compared to the influence of the organic matter alone. Collectively, this study demonstrates the pivotal role of soil groundwater solution chemistry in both the transport and retention of this important zoonotic parasite
LAI celebrated its newest Dr !
On October 3rd, 2025, Loriane Maillot successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Cibler l’axe RANK/RANKL dans l’émergence et la dissémination de la leucémie lymphoblastique aiguë T”, conducted under the supervision of Arnauld Sergé (LAI) and Magali Irla (CIML).
Her work was evaluated by a distinguished examination committee composed of Emmanuel Clave, Terence Strick, Marie-Laure Arcangeli, Cyril Favard, and Olivier Theodoly.
The LAI warmly congratulates Dr. Loriane on this important milestone and wishes her every success in the next steps of her career. We thank her for her hard work, dedication, and the positive energy she shared within the laboratory.
CENTURI Scientific Day 2025!
We are pleased to share that Jana El Husseiny presented her work “Unraveling Morphological and Biomechanical Responses to Stressors in Coccidian Oocysts”, and Gaurav Verma gave a flash talk titled “Molecular Geometry Controls Immune Response” at the CENTURI – Turing Centre for Living Systems Scientific Day, held on September 17th at Jardins du Pharo.
The event brought together current members and alumni, fostering networking, idea exchange, and discussions on future perspectives. The day concluded with a convivial cocktail evening at Villa Gaby.
LAI celebrated its newest Dr !
On the 16th of september 2025, Chandrasekar Subramani Narayana successfully defended his work titled “Deep learning-based counting and binding kinetics of bacteriophages imaged by fluorescence microscopy“, under the supervision of Laurent Limozin and Stéphane Ayache. This achievement was presented to a distinguished panel of experts in the field, including Laurent Vonna, Rémi Eyraud, Guillaume Gay and Cécile Capponi,
LAI wishes you all the best for the rest of your career, full of success, and thanks you for your hard work and the positive energy you shared within the laboratory.
Bye bye CS !!
A new article “Quantitative Microscopy for Cell–Surface and Cell–Cell Interactions in Immunology”
We present a detailed protocol for conducting high-content microscopy assays of immune cells interacting with antigen surfaces and antigen-presenting cells. The principle of the method is illustrated by redirecting NK cells on HER2 antigens using original bispecific antibodies. We provide a complete analysis pipeline using our open-source, home-made software, Celldetective.
🔗 Article
Zacharie Nakache’s PhD in Pharmacy !
We are very proud of Dr. Zacharie Nakache, who has defended his PhD in Pharmacy, performed under the co-supervision of Prof. Arnauld Sergé at LAI and Dr. Magali Irla at CIM
LAI celebrated its newest Dr !
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
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.
Institute of Cancerology and Immunology day !
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”.
Les Athlètes Improbables Take on La Marseillaise des Femmes for the Third Time!
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!
Adhesion & Inflammation Lab 
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