CV Science

Pierre Bruhns PhD in Immunology

Course and current status

Since 01/2016 Director of multi-team INSERM Unit 1222: Humoral Immunity

Director of Institut Pasteur Unit: Antibodies in Pathology & Therapy

Dept. of Immunology, Institut Pasteur – Paris, France

2016-2019 Deputy Director, Dept. of Immunology, Institut Pasteur – Paris, France

09/2012-12/2015 Director of INSERM Unit 760

Director of Institut Pasteur Unit: Antibodies in Pathology & Therapy

Dept. of Immunology, Institut Pasteur – Paris, France

09/2004-08/2012 Faculty Position at INSERM

Unit of Molecular and cellular Allergology, INSERM U.760.

Dept. of Immunology, Institut Pasteur – Paris, France

07/2001-08/2004 Post-Doctoral Fellow

 Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology

The Rockefeller University – New York, NY, USA                             

(Margaret Dammann Eisner- Irvington Institute Postdoctoral Fellow)

10/1996-05/2001 Ph.D. in Immunology, University Paris VI, Pierre et Marie Curie

Laboratoire d'Immunologie Cellulaire et Clinique, INSERM U255

Institut Curie – Paris, France

Scientific summary

Antibodies in Therapy & Pathology (INSERM UMR 1222): focus on Allergy, Autoimmunity and Immunotherapy Antibodies are key effectors of the immune system. They are responsible for disease induction (autoimmunity, allergy) and can be protecting from or facilitating infections and tumors. Antibodies are secreted by terminally differentiated B cells, plasmablasts and plasma cells. Antibodies do not generally exert by themselves, however, biological functions: these are mainly mediated by antibody receptors (FcRs) and complement component C1q.

Aims:

1) Decipher the role of human antibodies and the cells expressing them (memory B cells and plasma cells) human antibody receptors (FcRs) and the cells expressing them (neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, platelets, mast cells, basophils), and human complement during therapy and in the induction of pathology (severe allergy & autoimmunity), using primarily mouse models “humanized” for these components.

2) Establish high-throughput plasma cell screening, analysis and/or sorting using droplet microfluidics technologies to understand the antibody response, repertoire and affinities, and demonstrate the pathogenic nature of antibodies in specific diseases .

3) Develop clinical studies (AUTOIMMUNI-B; NASA; WaspPenIP; ENDOPHEN) to understand how antibodies and their effector functions induce/regulate autoimmune and allergic diseases, and how they develop after vaccination. Diseases: Immune Thrombopenic Purpura (ITP) & Perioperative Anaphylaxis. Therapy: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

4) Develop novel antibody-based therapeutics for allergic and autoimmune disorders

Altogether, our research integrating fundamental, clinical and industry-driven approaches, aims at elucidating the role of antibody-related mechanisms in major disease and therapy models and, hopefully, propose novel therapeutic solutions in antibody-based therapies.