HEADLINE

Tribute to Michel Fougereau on behalf of the Center for Immunology of Marseille-Luminy

Today, CIML loses its founding father. In 1976, together with François Kourilsky, Michel Fougereau gave birth to our institution with a revolutionary vision: bringing together research teams from across France on a single site. This international openness and culture of exchange still constitute the DNA of CIML today.
Michel Fougereau was not content with being an institution builder. He was the architect of immunology education in Marseille. He created from scratch the graduate and postgraduate teaching programs in immunology. He founded one of the first doctoral schools in life and health sciences.
How many generations of immunologists have been trained thanks to him? How many scientific careers have flourished thanks to the foundations he laid? This dimension of transmission was essential to him. He knew that science progresses only through the transmission of knowledge and the emergence of new talents.
Fifty years after its creation, CIML continues to shine. More than 200 people keep this excellence alive in the spirit of collegiality and curiosity he wanted from the very beginning. The research conducted in our institute bears his pioneering imprint.
We scientists are always "standing on the shoulders of giants" who preceded us. Michel Fougereau was undeniably one of these giants. He laid the foundations on which we continue to build. He traced paths we still follow today.

fougereau

http://www.ciml.univ-mrs.fr/science/lab-michel-fougereau/eternal-pioneer

CIML celebrates the International Day of Immunology 2025: When Brain Meets Immunity

On the occasion of the International Day of Immunology 2025, focused on the theme "Brain and Immunity," the Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy  highlights two of its eminent Inserm researchers whose work is revolutionizing our understanding of the interactions between the nervous system and the immune system.
Sophie Ugolini, Team Leader at CIML, has identified innovative mechanisms by which the sensory nervous system modulates immune responses. Her discoveries have notably revealed how certain sensory neurons limit excessive inflammation and promote tissue repair. Her work on Herpes simplex virus infection has shown how the sensory nervous system can orchestrate disease tolerance, preserving host function without necessarily reducing pathogen burden. These findings open promising therapeutic perspectives for inflammatory diseases.
Rejane Rua, Team Leader at CIML, reveals the crucial role of meningeal macrophages at the interface between the brain and the peripheral immune system. Her pioneering research has demonstrated their importance in perinatal brain development, their involvement in cognitive disorders linked to early-life stress, and their protective function against neuroinfections. Her innovative approaches to manipulate these cells represent a major hope in the fight against neurological disorders.
These two researchers exemplify the scientific excellence of CIML in the emerging field of neuroimmunology, where their fundamental discoveries are transforming our understanding of the body's defense mechanisms and paving the way for new therapeutic strategies for neurological and inflammatory diseases.

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Events

Francesca GRANUCCI - Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, ITA
Host : Marc DALOD

Florent GINHOUX - Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, FRA
Host : Eric VIVIER

Michela LOCCI - Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Host : Pierre MILPIED

News

Le Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML) annonce la publication d'une revue scientifique majeure dans le prestigieux journal Immunity, intitulée "Role of specialized sensory neuron…

The Center for Immunologie of Marseille-Luminy (CIML) announces the publication of a major scientific review in the prestigious journal Immunity, entitled "Role of specialized sensory neuron…

CIML is proud to announce that Dr. Anaïs Rogier, a young researcher trained at our institute in Sophie Ugolini's team as a doctoral student, has received the prestigious Aix-Marseille University…

What is Immunology

At the crossroads of biology and medicine, immunology is a scientific discipline that focuses on the operating mechanisms of the immune system. Appeared early in the evolution, this system enables living organisms to defend themselves against pathogens or their own components when they are altered. It involves a large number of cells whose capacity for cooperation, recognition and memory are far from having revealed all their secrets.

Publications

Santamaria JC, et al., Science Translational Medicine, , 16, PMID: 39630886
Rebuffet L et al., Nat.Immunol, , PMID: 38956378
Da Mesquita S. et al., Trends Immunology, , 45, 346-357, PMID: 38632001
Vivier E et al., Nature., , PMID: 38383621
Narni-Mancinelli E et al., Immunity, , PMID: 38198854
Fenis A et al., Nat Rev Immunol., , PMID: 38273127

CIML ERC GRANTS

ERC "Advanced Grants"
Bernard Malissen – 2018 – Basilic Projet
Michael Sieweke – 2016 – Macrophage Aging and Rejuvenation
Eric Vivier – 2016 – Targeting  Innate Lymphoid Cells
Bernard Malissen – 2012 – Integrative biology of T cells and dendritic cells in vivo
Eric Vivier – 2010 – The Immune Function of Natural Killer
ERC "Consolidator Grants"
Sophie Ugolini – 2014 – Neural regulation of immunity
Marc Bajénoff – 2014 – Immunobiology of lymphoid stromal cells
ERC "Starting Grants"
Mauro Gaya - 2022 - Outlining the role of IgA in Memory Instruction
Réjane Rua - 2020 - Spatiotemporal control of neuroinfection by meningeal macrophages
Marc Dalod – 2011 – Harnessing systems immunology to unravel dendritic cell subset biology
Toby Lawrence - 2010 – Targeting tumor associated macrophages in Cancer
ERC "Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant"
Eric Vivier - 2019 - MInfla-TilcERC
ERC "Synergy Grant"
Eric Vivier - 2023 - Immunotherapy of liver metastases

Vidéos

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