Team BALABANIAN & ESPÉLI
Lymphoid Niches, Chemokines and Immuno-Hematological SyndromesLearn more about the team
We aim to define the molecular and cellular aspects of the dialogue established between lymphoid and stromal cells within the bone marrow, skin and thymus, with a particular focus on the chemokine signaling system. Our objective is to better understand immune-hematological disorders and find new ways to fight them. Our lab is currently focusing on WHIM Syndrome, Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Sezary Syndrome and T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Our team is part of the Institut de la Leucémie, the FHU PROTHEE, the LabEx InFibrex, the Siric InSitu,and the RHU SPRINT.
Research Axes
Axis 1 – Understanding the dialogue between lymphoid cells and their microenvironment
Project 1 – Bone marrow niches for hematopoietic stem/ progenitor cells and B cells
K. Balabanian, M. Espéli
This project studies how CXCR4 signaling shapes the spatial and metabolic organization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and B cells, focusing on how this influences their fate and genomic integrity, particularly in the context of WHIM Syndrome and Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia.
Project 2 – Thymic development of T and NKT lymphocytes
A. Toubert, E. Clave, K. Benlagha
This project studies the genetic, molecular and environmental factors influencing thymic development of T and NKT lymphocytes at different life stages and in malignant transformation.
Axis 2 – Targeting adaptive and innate lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment
Project 1 – Intrinsic and extrinsic effects of the immune microenvironment in myelodysplastic syndromes
N. Dulphy, V. Bisio, L.P. Zhao
Using 2D/3D co-culture models with primary patient cells, this project analyses how stromal and leukemic cells alter NK cell-mediated immune surveillance during MDS initiation and progression.
Project 2 – Analysis of blood and skin compartments in Sezary Syndrome
H. Moins
This project studies the heterogeneity of malignant T cells and the tumor environment in Sezary Syndrome, a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and evaluates the impact of immunotherapies.
Team members
Andrea FEDERICI
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Antoine TOUBERT
PUPH, University of Paris Cité, AP-HP, HDR, Emeritus
Camille KERGARAVAT
IE UPCité, PhD student at Paris Cité University
Clarisse GODARD
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Clémentine MOULIN
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité, INSERM host position
Delphine REA
PH AP-HP
Émilie LERECLUS
IE DRCI CDI
Emmanuel CLAVE
IR Univ. Paris Cité, HDR
Flor Elena CASTILLO SILVA
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Hélène MOINS
PUPH, University of Paris Cité, AP-HP, HDR
Houda MELHEM
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Inès M’SIBIH
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Jun-Ting CHENG
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Kadi DIALLO
M2 student at Paris Cité University
Kamel BENLAGHA
DR2 INSERM, HDR
Karl BALABANIAN
DR1 INSERM, HDR / Team Leader, Assistant Director of the Institute
Lin-Pierre ZHAO
PH AP-HP (currently HDR)
Lucile GEOFFROY
M2 student at Univ. Paris Cité (Pharmacy Research Year)
Maria KALOGERAKI
PhD student at Univ. Paris Cité
Marion ESPÉLI
DR2 INSERM, HDR / Assistant TeamLeader
Nadine MANSOUR
M2 student at Paris Cité University (Medicine Research Year)
Nicolas DULPHY
MCU-PH, Univ. Paris Cité, AP-HP, HDR
Noa MOLLET
M2 student at Paris Cité University (Medicine Research Year)
Pierre-Arnaud GARANGE
M2 student at Paris Cité University
Pierre-Edouard DEBUREAUX
CCA AP-HP
Shaïna MOUGAMMADOU
IE CDD
Valeria BISIO
CRCN INSERM (currently working towards an HDR)
Van Anh TA
IE CDD
Vanessa GOURHAND
AI INSERM
Zohra OULD-CHIKH
AJT INSERM
Team alumni
Adrienne ANGINOT
PhD, Comité d'Evaluation Ethique de l'Inserm, Chercheur CDI INSERM - 2019-2021
Amélie BONAUD
PhD, Maitre de Conférence Université de Limoges, post-doctorat - 2015-2021
Bérénice SCHELL
PhD, Pharm, AHU Créteil - 2021-2024
Julia LEMOS
PhD, Post-doc, ICM, post-doctorat - 2019-2021
Lilian ROLAND
PhD, Private company, post-doctorat - 2021-2023
Maxime BOY
PhD, Post-doc, ETH Zürich - 2018-2022
Mélanie KHAMYATH
PhD, Post-doc, IDMIT, Fontenay aux Roses - 2020-2025
Vincent RONDEAU
PhD, Senior Post-doc, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada, PhD - 2016-2020
Zeina ABOU NADER
PhD, Post-doc, Institut Cochin - 2019-2023
Publications
2025 Sci Rep
Modeling mesenchymal stromal cell support to hematopoiesis within a novel 3D artificial marrow organoid system
Bérénice Schell, Lin‑Pierre Zhao, Inés M'Sibih, Maria Kalogeraki, Camille Kergaravat, Emilie Lereclus, Pierre Fenaux, Lionel Adès, Antoine Toubert, Marion Espéli, Karl Balabanian, Emmanuel Clave, Nicolas Dulphy, Valeria Bisio
View2025 Blood
Inflammatory Waldenström macroglobulinemia is associated with clonal hematopoiesis: a multicentric cohort
Pierre‑Edouard Debureaux, Stéphanie Poulain, Stéphanie Harel, Marie Passet, Marie Templé, Chloé Friedrich, Nathalie Forgeard, Dikelele Elessa, William Plas, Laureen Chat, Grégory Lazarian, Lise Willems, Bruno Royer, Alexis Talbot, Tristan Vaugeois, Floriane Theves, Alexandre Terré, Anne Brignier, Marion Malphettes, Daphné Krzisch, Laurent Frenzel, Frédéric Davi, Clotilde Bravetti, Florence Nguyen‑Khac, Jehan Dupuis, Wendy Cuccuini, Didier Bouscary, Olivier Hermine, Damien Roos‑Weil, Olivier Kosmider, Emmanuelle Clappier, Marion Espéli, Karl Balabanian, Bertrand Arnulf
View2024 Sci Signal
CXCR4 signaling determines the fate of hematopoietic multipotent progenitors by stimulating mTOR activity and mitochondrial metabolism
Vincent Rondeau, Maria Kalogeraki, Lilian Roland, Zeina Abou Nader, Vanessa Gourhand, Amélie Bonaud, Julia Lemos, Mélanie Khamyath, Clémentine Moulin, Bérénice Schell, Marc Delord, Ghislain Bidaut, Séverine Lecourt, Christelle Freitas, Adrienne Anginot, Nathalie Mazure, David H McDermott, Véronique Parietti, Niclas Setterblad, Nicolas Dulphy, Françoise Bachelerie, Michel Aurrand‑Lions, Daniel Stockholm, Camille Lobry, Philip M Murphy, Marion Espéli, Stéphane J. C. Mancini, Karl Balabanian
View2023 Nature Communications
Intrinsic factors and CD1d1 but not CD1d2 expression levels control invariant natural killer T cell subset differentiation
Ludivine Amable, Luis Antonio Ferreira Martins, Remi Pierre, Marcio Do Cruseiro, Ghita Chabab, Arnauld Sergé, Camille Kergaravat, Marc Delord, Christophe Viret, Jean Jaubert, Chaohong Liu, Saoussen Karray, Julien C. Marie, Magali Irla, Hristo Georgiev, Emmanuel Clave, Antoine Toubert, Bruno Lucas, Jihene Klibi, Kamel Benlagha
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