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Introduction team

The T-RAIG team (Translational Research in Autoimmunity and Inflammation Group) is a team accredited by the HCERES, created in 2021 and specialized in autoimmunity and inflammation.

It is co-directed by Professors Athan Baillet, rheumatologist, and Bertrand Huard, immunologist.

T-RAIG aims to federate a translational research on the Grenoble health site in partnership with several clinical departments including Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, Anatomopathology and Neurology.

Research topics

T-RAIG projects are based on the study of chronic inflammatory processes leading to one human pathology.

 

Therapeutic targeting of plasma cells

Humoral immunity has to be targetted in autoimmunity. Recently, three B-cell directed therapies have been approved for clinical practice. Notably, none of these three directly targets antibody-producing plasmocytes, leaving unaffected established cells in treated patients. The long-term goal of this project is to identify target(s) expressed at the surface of plasmocytes in order to induce their depletion in an antibody-dependent manner. Our ambition is to find targets dependent of the microenvironment to enable us a organ/disease specific plasmocyte depletion.

Leaders: Bertrand Huard / Nathalie Sturm

Current funding:

  • Société Française d’Hépatologie (AFEF) 2018-
  • Fondation Française pour la Recherche contre le Myélome et les Gammopathies (FFRMG) 2021-2023

 

Neuronal regeneration in autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system

Excessive inflammation in autoimmune neurodegenerative diseases is nowadays well-controlled by highly specific immunosuppressive coumpounds. However, pro-regeneration drugs are crucially missing in the therapeutic arsenal. Our tissue approach in patients led us to discover that our long-term molecule of interest, a proliferation inducing ligand (APRIL), is a binding partner of the natural inhibitors of regeneration, the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG). This project aims at testing whether APRIL may antagonize CSPG inhibitory functions. The study concerns multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. 

Leaders: Bertrand Huard / Olivier Casez

 

Current funding:

 

  • Association pour la recherche contre la sclérose en plaques (ARSEP) 2020-2021
  • Programme européen H2020 MSCA 2020-2023
  • Agence nationale pour la recherche 2020-2022

 

Role of the neutrophil in spondyloarthritis

We study in the SKG mouse model of Chlamydia-induced reactive arthritisthe role of innate immunity cells, monocytes and neutrophils, in the onset of arthritis. The production of radical oxygen derivatives and cytokine by different cell types is analyzed

Leaders: Marie-Hélène Paclet / Athan Baillet

Current funding:

  • TIMC laboratory - emergence program 2021
  • Société française de rhumatologie 2020-2022
  • Bourse Dreamer 2020-2022

 

Prediction of response to biotherapies in rheumatoid arthritis

We are evaluating the effecicay of a response prediction algorithm to rheumatoid arthritis biotherapies that combines several biomarkers identified by a proteomic approach.
 

Leaders: Philippe Gaudin / Athan Baillet

Current funding:

  • European program H2020 EIT Health 2019-2021

 


TEAM MEMBERS PUBLICATIONS IN THE LAST THREE YEARS
 

Baert, L., M. Benkhoucha, N. Popa, M.C. Ahmed, B. Manfroi, J. Boutonnat, N. Sturm, G. Raguenez, M. Tessier, O. Casez, R. Marignier, M. Ahmadi, A. Broisat, C. Ghezzi, C. Rivat, C. Sonrier, M. Hahne, D. Baeten, R.R. Vives, H. Lortat-Jacob, P.N. Marche, P. Schneider, H.P. Lassmann, J. Boucraut, P.H. Lalive, and B. Huard. 2019. A proliferation-inducing ligand-mediated anti-inflammatory response of astrocytes in multiple sclerosis. Ann. Neurol.

Belbézier, A., M. Arnaud, I. Boccon-Gibod, F. Pelletier, C. McAvoy, D. Gobert, O. Fain, A. Du-Thanh, D. Launay, J. Lupo, and L. Bouillet. 2021. COVID-19 as a trigger of acute attacks in people with hereditary angioedema. Clin Exp Allergy.

Casez, O., G. Willaume, S. Grand, B. Nemoz, J. Lupo, P. Kahane, and J.-P. Brion. 2021. Teaching NeuroImages: SARS-CoV-2-Related Encephalitis: MRI Pattern of Olfactory Tract Involvement. Neurology.

Drevet, S., G. Gavazzi, L. Grange, C. Dupuy, and B. Lardy. 2018. Reactive oxygen species and NADPH oxidase 4 involvement in osteoarthritis. Exp Gerontol.

Labbé, C., N. Grima, T. Gautier, B. Favier, and J.A. Byrne. 2019. Semi-automated fact-checking of nucleotide sequence reagents in biomedical research publications: The Seek & Blastn tool. PLoS One.

Marceau, F., G.E. Rivard, J.M. Gauthier, K.E. Binkley, A. Bonnefoy, I. Boccon-Gibod, L. Bouillet, M. Picard, G. Levesque, H.L. Elfassy, H. Bachelard, J. Hébert, and K. Bork. 2020. Measurement of Bradykinin Formation and Degradation in Blood Plasma: Relevance for Acquired Angioedema Associated With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition and for Hereditary Angioedema Due to Factor XII or Plasminogen Gene Variants. Front Med (Lausanne).

Romand, X., X. Liu, M.A. Rahman, Z.A. Bhuyan, C. Douillard, R.A. Kedia, N. Stone, D. Roest, Z.H. Chew, A.J. Cameron, L.M. Rehaume, A. Bozon, M. Habib, C.W. Armitage, M.V.C. Nguyen, B. Favier, K. Beagley, M. Maurin, P. Gaudin, R. Thomas, T.J. Wells, and A. Baillet. 2021. Mediation of Interleukin-23 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Driven Reactive Arthritis by Chlamydia-Infected Macrophages in SKG Mice. Arthritis Rheumatol.

Trocmé, C., N. Gonnet, M. Di Tommaso, H. Samouda, J.-L. Cracowski, C. Cracowski, S. Lambert-Porcheron, M. Laville, E. Nobécourt, C. Gaddhab, A. Le Lay, T. Bohn, C. Poitou, K. Clément, F. Al-Mulla, M.S. Bitar, and S.P. Bottari. 2020. Serum IRAP, a Novel Direct Biomarker of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes? Front Mol Biosci.

Wendum, D., R. Layese, N. Ganne-Carrié, V. Bourcier, F. Merabtene, C. Cagnot, E. Sauce, N. Barget, P. Bedossa, B. Terris, J. Selves, P. Bioulac-Sage, N. Sturm, C. Sattonnet, P. Nahon, F. Roudot-Thoraval, M. Ziol, and ANRS CO12 CirVir Group. 2018. Influence of Progenitor-Derived Regeneration Markers on Hepatitis C Virus-Related Cirrhosis Outcome (ANRS CO12 CirVir Cohort). Hepatology.

Zana, M., Z. Péterfi, H.A. Kovács, Z.E. Tóth, B. Enyedi, F. Morel, M.-H. Paclet, Á. Donkó, S. Morand, T.L. Leto, and M. Geiszt. 2018. Interaction between p22phox and Nox4 in the endoplasmic reticulum suggests a unique mechanism of NADPH oxidase complex formation. Free Radic Biol Med. 116:41–49. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.12.031.

 

Team members

Team coordinator(s)

Permanent members

Others members

PhD students

Thesis
  • Xavier Romand : " Role of innate immunity in spondyloarthritis. "
    (supervised by Athan Baillet)
  • Nathan AYMARD : "Exploration de l'interaction entre activité physique et sommeil dans les rhumatismes inflammatoires chroniques : effets d'une intervention combinée " (framed by Patrice FLORE (CHU) , Monique MENDELSON (CHU) , Athan BAILLET )
  • Aya CHAMAA : "Etude du dialogue entre cellules de l’immunité innée dans le modèle murin SKG de spondyloarthrite " (framed by Xavier ROMAND (TIMC) , Bertrand FAVIER )
  • Zeineb CHEMKHI : "Ciblage de modifications post-traductionnelles des plasmocytes pour le traitement des maladies autoimmunes " (framed by Bertrand HUARD )
  • Diane GIOVANNINI : "Caractérisation des plasmocytes dans les tissus auto-immuns et allo-immuns. " (framed by Bertrand HUARD )
Teaching-Training

T-RAIG brings together a large number of research professors and hospital academics who are involved in teaching in the various departments of the University of Grenoble-Alpes. Some members of the team have key roles in learned societies, national clubs and clinical networks.

  • Baillet Athan teaches rheumatology at the Faculty of Medicine.
  •  
  • Bouillet Laurence teaches internal medicine at the Faculty of Medicine. She is also regional coordinator of the DES of internal medicine, and national coordinator of the national reference center of angiodemas.
     
  • Casez Olivier teaches Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine. He is the referral physician for the national network on multiple sclerosis (ARSEP).
     
  • Favier Bertrand teaches Biology at the Faculty of Sciences. He is a veterinarian referent for animal experimentation in Grenoble.
     
  • Huard Bertrand teaches Immunology at the Faculty of Sciences. He is responsible for the MIDI (Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology) master's degree.
     
  • Lardy Bernard teaches Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy.
     
  • Paclet Marie-Hélène teaches Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. She is co-founder of the French-speaking oxidase club.
     
  • Sturm Nathalie teaches anatomopathology at the Faculty of Medicine. She is a member of the executive committee of the French Society of Pathology.

 

Valorisation

 

Start-up : SINNOVIAL

SINNOVIAL is a biotechnology company co-founded in September 2015 by Professors Athan Baillet and Philippe Gaudin. It focuses on the development of personalized medicine tools to improve the management of inflammatory diseases in rheumatology (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis).

   bullet www.sinnovial.com

 

Patents

T-RAIG members hold 7 patents in areas including B-cell lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, personalized medicine for new biotherapiess.

 

Contact

Address: Bât Jean Roget, Faculté de Médecine et Pharmacie, Site Santé, 38700 La Tronche