Internship Position in Leukemia Research (Master students) - AL0124

Background.  

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) represent the most frequent leukemia in adults. Despite recent advances in treatments, CLL remains a deadly incurable disease. This cancer is caracterized by an accumulation of abnormal, apoptosis resistant, B lymphocytes in the blood and lymphoid organs of the patients. CLL progression is highly dependent on complex interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment. Indeed, CLL cells can modify stromal cells and immune cells to promote their survival and to escape from the immune surveillance system

Objectives.   

Our team focuses on the mechanisms leading to leukemia progression, in particular the influence of CLL cells on stromal cells and immune cells located in their microenvironment, with the goal to identify new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.

Training and research environment.

Tumor Stroma Interactions research group is a dynamic and multinational team whose current members originate from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, Italy and Argentina. It belongs to the Department of Cancer Research, whose research activities focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression using a wide range of cutting edge technologies, including genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, as well as in vitro and in vivo imaging modalities using state-of-the art animal models for cancer research. The post-doctoral researcher will be working on a large FNR CORE-funded project that aims to explore the complex interplay between CLL cells and immune cells in the microenvironment, and will be co-supervised by Dr. E. Moussay (PI) and Dr. J. Paggetti (PI).

Recent related references (open access): Gargiulo, E., Viry, E., Morande, P. E. et al. Extracellular Vesicle Secretion by Leukemia Cells In Vivo Promotes CLL Progression by Hampering Antitumor T-cell Responses. Blood Cancer Discov 4, 54-77 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-22-0029