Emilie NARNI-MANCINELLI Dr Emilie Narni-Mancinelli
Course and current status
Principal Investigator and Team manager at CIML
• Scientific supervision of research projects
• Acquisition and management of research funding
• Operational management of the CIML research team
• Financial management of the team’s resources
• Human resources management within the team
Scientific summary
Dr. Emilie Narni-Mancinelli holds a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. In 2008, she obtained a Ph.D. in Immunology, Pharmacology, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her doctoral research focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying the memory of CD8+ T lymphocytes, which ensure long-term protection against intracellular pathogens.
She subsequently joined the Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML) as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Eric Vivier’s laboratory, where she developed the NKp46^iCre/+ murine model, enabling conditional gene deletion specifically in NKp46+ cells. During this period, she also characterized the regulatory role of NK cells in adaptive immunity.
For the past decade, she has led a research group that identified a novel ligand of the activating receptor NKp46, demonstrating its key role in the control of invasive bacterial infections. Her team later conducted comprehensive transcriptomic analyses of blood- and tissue-derived NK cells, both at steady state and in tumor contexts. More recently, her research has expanded to include genome-wide CRISPR screens aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanisms governing NK-cell recognition and killing of tumor cells.
Beyond fundamental research, Dr. Narni-Mancinelli actively contributes to the translational development of laboratory discoveries, notably through the design of innovative therapeutic antibodies, such as NK cell engagers. Her current work focuses on NK-cell heterogeneity in cancer, with the goal of developing new therapeutic strategies based on NK-cell modulation.
Dr. Narni-Mancinelli is a laureate of the French National Academy of Medicine, a member of the Scientific Committee of the Canceropôle PACA, a steering committee member of the CRISPR Screen LabTech platform, a member of CNRS Section 29, a scientific expert for the French Cancer League, an elected member of the CIML Executive Board, a member of the CIML PhD Advisory Board, and the Gender Equality Officer for the INSERM Unit U1104.
She is the author of 42 international publications (h-index 28, >5,000 citations) and co-inventor on five patents. Her work exemplifies her ability to bridge fundamental immunology and clinical applications, paving the way for next-generation immunotherapies.
