CV Science

Karima KISSA MARIN PhD in Embryology - Expert in Stem Cell Biology and Host–Pathogen Interactions

Course and current status

Dr. Karima Kissa holds a Ph.D. in Embryology from the University of Paris Sorbonne (2001) and an MBA from HEC Paris (2009). She earned her HDR (Accreditation to Supervise Research) from the University of Montpellier in 2012.

Her scientific career began with postdoctoral research at King’s College London and the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where she investigated the developmental origin and behavior of hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages using zebrafish as a model organism.

From 2012 to 2022, Dr. Kissa led the ATIP-Avenir team “Emergence of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Cancer” within the CNRS Laboratory of Pathogen-Host Interactions (Montpellier). In this position, she built a multidisciplinary research program bridging developmental biology, cancer, and immunology.

Since 2023, she has been Team Leader of the VBIC (Bacterial Virulence and Chronic Infections) group at Inserm, Montpellier. Her current research focuses on understanding how bacterial virulence mechanisms and chronic infections influence tissue homeostasis and immune regulation.

Beyond research, Dr. Kissa is deeply involved in teaching and academic leadership. She lectures on animal models, ethics, stem cell production, and biotechnology innovation at the University of Montpellier. She also serves on multiple Ph.D. and HDR committees, evaluates international research proposals, and has played a key role in scientific project management at both national and European levels.

Translational Research

Her expertise extends to translational and collaborative research, having coordinated and participated in numerous European and national research programs, including large-scale projects funded by the European Innovative Training Network, ANR, and CNRS.

She has also contributed to biomedical innovation, holding three patents in the fields of oncology and infectious diseases. In 2014, she co-founded AZELEAD, a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of anti-metastatic drugs, where she served as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Scientific summary

Dr. Karima Kissa is a developmental biologist whose research explores the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the cancer. Her scientific career has been characterized by the use of zebrafish as an experimental model to study hematopoiesis, immunity, and host–pathogen interactions in vivo.

During her postdoctoral and research years at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, within Philippe Herbomel’s laboratory, she investigated the origin and behavior of hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages in the zebrafish embryo. This work contributed to understanding how immune and blood cell lineages emerge and behave during early development, establishing zebrafish as a relevant vertebrate model for studying hematopoiesis and immunity.

As an ATIP-Avenir team leader at the Laboratory of Pathogen–Host Interactions (CNRS, Montpellier), Dr. Kissa developed an independent research program titled “Emergence of hematopoietic stem cells and cancer.” Her work aimed to uncover how hematopoietic stem cells originate and how dysregulation of their developmental processes may contribute to oncogenesis. Her team’s research combined developmental biology and pathology to better understand the links between stem cell formation, plasticity, and disease.

Since 2023, Dr. Kissa has led a Team in the VBIC Unity (Bacterial Virulence and Chronic Infections) at Inserm U1047 in Montpellier, where she studies the relationships between bacterial virulence, chronic infection, and host responses. This research explores how long-term bacterial infections influence cellular homeostasis and contribute to chronic or pathological processes.

Her scientific expertise lies at the interface between embryology, hematopoiesis, immunity, and infection biology, with a focus on fundamental mechanisms that underlie both normal development and disease.