CV Science

Karin TARTE Professor in Immunology, PharmD PhD

Course and current status

CURRENT POSITION

Head director of INSERM research unit U1236 (MOBIDIC) since 2017

Professor in Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine of Rennes since 2007

Head of the Rennes immunomonitoring platform (SITI) since 2005

Head of the Immunology Lab (ITeCH) at Rennes University Hospital since 2010

EDUCATION

1999 PhD in Immunology, Montpellier, France

2001 Doctorate in Pharmacy, Montpellier, France

2005 Accreditation to supervise research (HDR), Rennes, France

OTHER PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS

1995-2001 Intern in Biology at Montpellier University Hospital (Interne des hôpitaux)

2001-2003 Senior Researcher (Chargé de recherche 2ème classe, INSERM U475, Montpellier)

2003-2006 Assistant Professor in Immunology (MCU-PH, University Hospital of Rennes)

2008-2016 Head director of INSERM unit U917 (MICA)

MAIN SCIENTIFIC and ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSABILITIES

Member of the National commission CCS5 Inserm (CSS5, 2008-2012)

Member of the National commission Ligue contre le cancer (2014-2022)

Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Cancer Institute (INCa, 2013-2018)

Vice-president of the Scientific Committee of Fondation ARC (2019-2021) and President of this committee (2022), President of the International SAB of the Fondation ARC (Since 2023).

Member of the MSC committee of the International Society for Cell Therapy (ISCT, 2020-2024)

Member of the steering committee of Carnot Institute Calym, and Infrastructure eCellFrance.

AWARDS

2014: Guillaumat-Piel Prize - Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM)

2015: Ita-Akonas Award from EFIS/EJI

2018: Rosen Prize - Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM)

2024 : Knight of the Legion d’Honneur

KEYWORDS: Lymphoma, tumor microenvironment, stromal cells

Scientific summary

Dr Tarte has a background in Immunology and Hemato-oncology with a continuous focus on B-cell malignancies. Her research is in particular dedicated to the understanding of normal and malignant tumor niches, with a specific interest for the mechanisms of the co-evolution of tumor clones and their supportive microenvironment. She heads a research unit of about 70 people, gathering clinicians and biologists, dedicated to basic and translational research in the field of normal and malignant B-cell differentiation and a ISO9001-certified immunomonitoring lab, the SITI, devoted to the evaluation of novel biotherapy approaches. In agreement, she is involved in several research and clinical programs dealing with the understanding of the role of tumor microenvironment and how it could be a target for new therapeutic strategies and/or provide predictive and prognostic biomarkers. As a PI and co-investigator of several programs from the French NCI (INCa), the French National Research Agency (ANR), and European and US agencies, she had the opportunity to develop fruitful collaborations with national and international academic and industrial partners leading to publications of highly cited papers and contributing to the design of new clinical trials sponsored by the Lymphoma Study Association (LYSA). Finally, Dr Tarte was one of the pioneers in the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) to treat inflammatory diseases and degenerative disorders, providing landmark studies on clinical-grade MSC mechanisms of action and helping in the definition regulatory rules for their clinical use at the French and European level.