Governance

Dr Christophe Ginestier is leading the “Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer” lab at the Cancer Research Center of Marseille (France).

He completed his post-doctoral training at Pr Max Wicha’s Lab (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA) where he identified ALDH activity as marker of normal and malignant human mammary stem cells (Cell Stem Cell, 2007; Cancer Res, 2009). Since he performed a thorough molecular characterization of normal and breast cancer stem cells and identified intrinsic molecular pathway driving stemness (Stem cells, 2012; Stem Cells, 2014; Cell Rep, 2017; Nat Med, 2017). Based on these molecular portraits, he identified different therapeutic targets specific of the breast CSC population (JCI, 2010; Stem Cells 2012, Cell Rep, 2017). Using a bank of 50 PDX models generated from primary breast tumors, he developed pre-clinical trials to test anti-CSC therapeutic strategies (Cancer Res, 2013, Nat Chem, 2017, EMBO Mol Med 2019).

Dr Thierry Virolle is Director of Research at Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM). He is leading the Team “Cancer Stem Cell Plasticity and Functional intra-tumor Heterogeneity” at the Institute of Biology Valrose (iBV) at Nice.

Thierry Virolle has completed is post-doctoral studies at Pr Eileen Adamson’s laboratory (The Burnham Institute, San Diego, CA, USA), where he characterizes transcription factor functional duality in UV stress response and epithelial cancer (Nature Cell Biology 2001, JBC 2003). Since that, he published, as principal investigator, several papers describing molecular mechanisms and gene regulatory networks that orchestrate the cellular response to UV-induced DNA damages (Embo J 2005, Cell Death Differ 2008, Cell Death Differ 2009).

Since 2009, Dr Virolle’s team focuses on the study of cancer stem cell maintenance and plasticity in glioblastoma (primitive brain tumors). He and his coworkers have described original transcription factors and miRNA signatures that control glioma stem cell fate, tumorigenicity and thus functional intra-tumor heterogeneity (Cell Death Differ 2012, Stem Cells 2013, Neuro Oncology 2013, Biomaterials 2013, JBC 2016, Cell Death and dis 2017, Oncogene 2018, Cancer Research 2020). Based on these results, he developed a novel therapeutic approach for glioblastoma treatment, the “differentiating strategy” (patented), leading to the differentiation of glioma stem cell and the loss of their tumorigenic property.

Emmanuelle Charafe is a medical Doctor, a Pathologist specialized in breast cancer.

After an intership in Marseille’s public hospitals and a medical thesis in Breast Pathology (1998), she was nominated in the regional Cancer Center Institut Paoli-calmettes as Assistant Professor (2001) and finally Full Professor in Pathology (2011). She is currently in charge of breast and gynecological pathology in the hospital, leads the experimental pathology platform of the CRCM / IPC and teaches cancer pathology at Aix Marseille University (AMU). During her medical course, she was also studying biology and defended her PhD thesis on Breast Cancer Molecular features (2004), then a Habilitation to Supervise Research (2009). Her research is focused on breast cancer Stem Cells characterization and therapies able to control Cancer plasticity and therapeutic resistance due to the cancer stem cell state. She currently heads a team at the Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM) which studies the role of these cancer stem cells, and is also involved in many scientific societies (SFP, ESP, FSSCR, ISSCR, etc.), president of the Scientific Council (CS) of the French Cancer Society and Deputy Director of the Immunology and Cancer Institute in charge of Training. Her aim is to work at the crossroads of research, innovation and care to improve cancer care for patients in the light of cancer stem cells resistance. In order to transmit her passion for innovation to students, she works in close collaboration with faculties educational institutes to train a new generation of MD/PhD.

Dr Julie Pannequin is leading the “Signaling, Plasticity and Cancer” lab at the Institute of Functional Genomics (France).

She has a strong and solid experience in translational research in colorectal cancer and more recently with a special focus on cancer stem cells. She has dedicated some of her time in the last few years to develop in vitro and in vivo models relevant for human pathologies and her team has been the first to establish several circulating tumor cell lines from colorectal cancer patient blood samples. Her latest publications have been published in Oncotarget, Cancer Research and Gut in 2017.

Dr Jean Marc PASCUSSI is working in the “SIGNALING, PLASTICITY AND CANCER ” lab (J. Pannequin) at the Institute of Functionnal Genomics of Montpellier (France).

He completed is post-doctoral training at Pr Masahiko Negishi’s Lab (NIEHS, NIH, USA). He studied the involvement of hepatic nuclear receptors in drug metabolism (Nature Communication, 2015, Hepatology, 2014-2010; J.C.I., 2005, etc. ) and more recently in colon cancer cells and cancer stem cells chemoresistance (Molecular Cancer, 2010; Oncotarget, 2016).