Units

Laboratory of Clinical Cell Therapy

Our laboratory is dedicated to the fundamental and translational research in the domain of Immunology and hematology. Several research themes are approached and the laboratory works in symbiosis with the Clinical Hematology Departement of Jules Bordet Insitute.The laboratory competences, staff and equipment allows the realization of clinical and fundamental research projects according to various approaches: cellular biology, immunology, molecular biology and cell therapy.From several years, our laboratory is interested in the bone marrow microenvironment, its regulation and the abnormalities observed at this level in diverse pathologies (particularly in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma).More recently, we study particularly mesenchymal stromal cells at the level of source, phenotype, expansion, plasticity, pro-hematopoietic activity and immunomodulation. Other research areas are also clinical and concern hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and their in vitro amplification, mesenchymal stromal cell infusion to accelerate hematopoietic cell recovery and to prevent GVHD, and cell therapy.

Projetcs

Microenvironment and leukemia

Study of the survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells in the presence of bone marrow microenvironment and influence of Zap-70 expression and mutational status on this survival. Study of bidirectional interactions between Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B-cells and bone marrow, or blood microenvironment, normal and pathologic. Molecular mechanisms linked to ZAP-70 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Establishment of new pronostic factors for CLL patients. Role of microARN in CLL physiopathology. Gene expression profiling between patients with CLL expressing high or low ZAP70 mRNA. Effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors (SAHA, VPA) in CLL.