Although all biological systems must obey the laws of physics, specific examples of physical limitations on the performance of biological systems remain sparce. Bacterial motility is among the quantitatively best-understood biological behaviors, and it has long served as a model of how physics can help to understand bacterial ability to move and follow chemical gradients in the environment (chemotaxis). Using example of Escherichia coli, I will discuss how physical limits might have shaped the evolution of bacterial motility and of the chemotaxis system. Our recent work suggests that physical limitations on bacterial swimming, along with fitness tradeoffs associated with investment of limited cellular resources in motility, can be sufficient to quantitatively explain regulation of motility gene expression in both, laboratory model strains and natural isolates of E. coli. Moreover, hydrodynamics also determines performance of bacterial microswimmers that could be used for various biotherapeutic applications, and taking physics into account is important for their rational engineering.

Although all biological systems must obey the laws of physics, specific examples of physical limitations on the performance of biological systems remain sparce. Bacterial motility is among the quantitatively best-understood biological behaviors, and it has long served as a model of how physics can help to understand bacterial ability to move and follow chemical gradients in the environment (chemotaxis). Using example of Escherichia coli, I will discuss how physical limits might have shaped the evolution of bacterial motility and of the chemotaxis system. Our recent work suggests that physical limitations on bacterial swimming, along with fitness tradeoffs associated with investment of limited cellular resources in motility, can be sufficient to quantitatively explain regulation of motility gene expression in both, laboratory model strains and natural isolates of E. coli. Moreover, hydrodynamics also determines performance of bacterial microswimmers that could be used for various biotherapeutic applications, and taking physics into account is important for their rational engineering.

During infection, the immune system unleashes protective responses to fight against the pathogen while also establishes a memory compartment that will provide protection in case of a subsequent pathogen encounters. The B cell memory compartment is composed of two layers: long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) and memory B cells (MBCs). LLPCs mainly migrate to the bone marrow, where they continuously secrete high-affinity antibodies and provide protection against re-infection with the same pathogen for years or even for lifetime. In contrast, MBCs remain in a quiescent state in secondary lymphoid organs (spleen and lymph nodes) until a future encounter with the same pathogen or a variant. Only then, MBCs will proliferate and differentiate into antibody-secreting plasma cells to provide a rapid and effective protective response, or re-enter germinal centre reactions, where they will diversify the memory repertoire. In the last years, it became evident than LLPCs and MBCs not only remain in lymphoid organs but further take residence in barrier tissues upon mucosal infections. During my talk, I will discuss how distinct barrier tissues, such as the lungs and the gut, use different B cell memory strategies to fight recurrent pathogens.

Cancer Immunotherapy has come of age in the last 15 years, with the success of checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy and adoptive T cell therapy. At Immunocore we develop soluble TCRs as therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune and infectious diseases. I will give an overview of the platform, the mechanism of action of TCR engagers and the challenges to develop new, HLA-unrestricted, therapeutics.

Objectifs pédagogiques de la formation

- Connaître les définitions légales des violences sexistes et sexuelles
- Connaître les principales données chiffrées sur le sujet
- Comprendre les conséquences des violences sexistes et sexuelles
- Connaître les responsabilités et obligations de l’employeur, les sanctions encourues et les procédures
- Savoir accueillir la parole et orienter

Pour rejoindre le séminaire :  https://shorturl.at/awJU0
L'inscription n'est pas nécessaire.

Séminaire proposé par la 'Cellule de prévention RPS-VSS' du Centre de Recherche

The inhibitory immunoreceptor PD1 is a major cancer immunotherapy target. Anti-PD1 blockade antibodies have become the standard of care for cancer patients, but the low response rate and associated immune related side effects necessitate a better understanding of PD1 mechanism. Best known to be expressed by T cells, PD1 transduces inhibitory signals to attenuate T cell response upon binding to its ligand PDL1. In this seminar I will share our ongoing studies on the unexpected nuances in the signaling mechanism of PD1.

Le cours réunira des intervenants de premier plan issus de différents domaines de la biologie des systèmes cancéreux, de la recherche sur le cancer et de la clinique. Les orateurs invités exposeront diverses approches pour l'analyse et l'interprétation des données omiques, d'imagerie et cliniques, en combinant les réseaux de signalisation avec des données moléculaires multi-échelles, et en les associant à des données cliniques.

Les thèmes abordés comprennent l'intégration et l'analyse de données génomiques multimodales, les algorithmes de prédiction de la sensibilité aux médicaments, l'identification de biomarqueurs et de facteurs de cancer, la stratification des patients, et les applications de la modélisation mathématique et de l'analyse d'images dans le domaine du cancer.

L'objectif du cours est de promouvoir une meilleure intégration des approches informatiques dans les laboratoires biologiques et cliniques et dans les cliniques. Nous voulons aider les participants à comprendre et à utiliser les approches d'intégration multimodale pour exploiter efficacement les différents types de données qui s'accumulent dans la plupart des laboratoires biologiques ou médicaux.

Le cours passera en revue les méthodes et outils actuels pour l'analyse et l'interprétation des données génomiques multimodales, en mettant l'accent sur la transcriptomique et la protéomique spatiales récentes, ainsi que sur des applications concrètes liées au cancer.

En particulier, le cours présentera des méthodes informatiques nous permettant d'approfondir notre compréhension de l'hétérogénéité des tumeurs, de tirer parti de l'intégration multimodale des données cliniques et omiques, et de concevoir des schémas de traitement personnalisés.

Luca Magnani graduated from his bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Bologna. During an exchange visit to Purdue University, he discovered his interest in early embryogenesis. Dr. Magnani’s work took him to Michigan State University, where he continued his research on mouse embryogenesis and more specifically on chromatin remodelling ATPases. In 2009, he made a significant shift in his research focus and began to investigate how cancer cells leverage the same processes that drive development to evolve drug resistance. Working with Professor Mathieu Lupien at Dartmouth College and the University of Toronto, he unearthed new insights into epigenetic reprogramming during tumour evolution. He started his laboratory at Imperial College London in 2013 as an Imperial College Research Fellow before becoming a CRUK fellow and the Imperial Chair in Cancer Adaptation and Evolution. His laboratory is interested in hormone dependent breast cancer and the use of genomics and epigenomics paradigms as well as convergent science approaches to understand how the tumour starts and evolve. Their goal is to develop novel strategies to target dormant cells as they believe this could dramatically improve the outcome for hormone dependent breast cancer patients.

This 6th edition of the international breast cancer course organized by the Institut Curie offers a comprehensive overview of current topics on clinical and biological aspects of breast cancer. This course brings together internationally renowned experts who will present the latest innovations in the clinical management of breast cancer, on both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, as well as the latest advances in the understanding of biological mechanisms such as plasticity, tumor heterogeneity or genomics of breast cancer. The focus will be on the latest cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches, including artificial intelligence and single cell analysis.

The format of the course is designed to encourage exchanges and to allow students to interact with researchers from the Institut Curie and from several international institutes.

You may register for a virtual attendance.

Over the past two decades, there has been a significant shift in our understanding of the role of endocytosis and trafficking of signaling receptors. It has evolved from being viewed simply as a signal extinguisher (resulting in long-term attenuation) to being recognized as a sophisticated mechanism capable of delivering signals to specific cellular locations with precise timing. Therefore, endocytosis functions as a regulatory program that impacts various aspects of cell physiology, and we have evidence suggesting that alterations in this program may be causal and targetable in cancer. On the one hand, by exploiting the EGFR model system, we obtained confirmation that the integration of the two functions of endocytosis (sustainment and attenuation of signals) might be achieved, at least in part, at the plasma membrane (PM) by activation of different endocytic routes. Disruption of this balance appears to contribute significantly to cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. On the other hand, our research has demonstrated the causal role of an endocytic protein, Epsin3 (EPN3), in breast cancer development, particularly in association with the emergence of partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (pEMT), cancer stem cells, and invasive phenotypes. Increased E-cadherin endocytosis is the initial event driving EPN3-induced pEMT, that render cells more plastic and prone to metastatic dissemination. Importantly, inhibition of increased E-Cadherin endocytosis is capable of reversing EPN3-dependent invasiveness. The restricted expression of EPN3 in adult tissues, along with its overexpression in breast cancer, positions EPN3-drived endocytosis as a promising target for therapeutic intervention.

Long version (3,5 weeks, w/ practicals at Sorbonne University & Seminars at Institut Curie) : July 20th
Short Version (10 days, Seminars at Institut Curie) : September 1st

Institut Curie and Sorbonne Université organize their 15th International Developmental Biology course.

The aim of the program is to provide the participants a comprehensive coverage of the paradigms, problems and technologies of modern Developmental Biology paying particular attention to stem cells.

Training in theoretical and experimental aspects of normal and abnormal development is developed through a variety of embryonic systems using state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodology.

The program is proposed in two versions (more information available soon) so there will be two registration deadlines:

Course organizers:

Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil (Insititut Curie, FR)

Eliane Piaggio (Institut Curie, FR)

María Soledad Matus (USS-Fundación Ciencia & Vida, CL)

Mario Rosemblatt (USS-Fundación Ciencia & Vida, CL)

Álvaro Lladser (USS-Fundación Ciencia & Vida, CL)

Mariana Maccioni (National University of Córdoba, CIBICI-CCT-CONICET, AR)

Nathalie Amzallag (Institut Curie, FR)

Inês Pires Pinheiro (Institut Curie, FR)

The Immunity and Cancer Unit of Institut Curie (INSERM U932) is organizing the 7th edition of the Advanced Course on Immunity and Cancer Immunotherapy.

In the context of ongoing cooperation projects with research teams in Chile and Argentina that have resulted in the prior organization of workshops in cell biology and immunology, this year’s edition is jointly organized with the Fundación Ciencia & Vida (Chile) and will be dedicated to multiple aspects of fundamental immunology and possible applications in cancer immunotherapy. The course will offer 4 days of lectures and discussions centered on the latest developments in innate immunity, myeloid and lymphoid cell biology, tissue immunity and the role of the microenvironment in immune activation, cancer immunity, as well as state-of-the-art cell therapy and cancer immunotherapy. Besides attending the lectures, the participants will have the opportunity to present their projects during two poster sessions, discuss with the speakers, attend workshops on open science and scientific integrity, and participate in a round table on career opportunities.

Expanding the links with Latin American research institutions, the Advanced course on Immunity and Cancer Immunotherapy is jointly organized with the 3rd Franco-Austral Course on Bioinformatics Applied to Immunology, taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from October 30th to November 2nd, just before the 2024 meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Association for Immunology.

The Advanced Course on Immunity and Cancer Immunotherapy is exclusively destined to Master students, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from Latin American universities and/or research institutions.

The course is organized and funded by the LabEx DCBIOL, Institut Curie’s Advanced Training Office, Institut Curie’s Medico-Scientific Program in Immunotherapy, the Inserm CIC-1428, PSL University, Universidad San Sebastián, Centro BASAL Ciencia & Vida (ANID-FB210008) and Fundación Ciencia & Vida. The cell therapy session is organized and funded by the RHU EpCART, a structuring project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the framework of the France 2030 program.