Equipe d’Accueil :
Equipe d’Accueil : DyCRIC Dynamics of Cytoskeleton dependent Responses of immune cells
Intitulé de l’Unité : Institut Cochin
Nom du Responsable de l’Unité : Florence Niedergang
Nom du Responsable de l’Équipe : Paolo Pierobon and Jérôme Delon
Adresse : 22 rue Méchain, 75014 Paris
Responsable de l’encadrement : Paolo Pierobon
Tél : 0699384996 ……… Fax : ……………………… E-mail: paolo.pierobon@inserm.fr
Résumé du projet
Immune cells such as B and T lymphocytes operate within highly dynamic and densely populated environments, including lymph nodes and inflamed tissues. Although these cells are known to be mechanosensitive, the extent to which crowding, mechanical stresses, and tissue deformation influence their migration, communication, and response to threats remains poorly understood.
Can we predict a cell’s behavior from its mechanical properties? Unraveling this relationship could provide new insights into how immune responses are coordinated in complex tissue environments.
This M2 internship (6 months) is open to students in biology, biophysics, or related fields. No advanced physics background is required. You will explore how physical forces influence immune function, with projects tailored to your interests:
• Studying how cell density affects lymphocyte activation in a microfluidic « lymph node on chip system »
• Investigating how mechanical forces (compression/stretching) trigger signaling during immune synapse formation
• Measuring how activation or inflammation alters cell stiffness using novel microchannelbased assays
You will use: live-cell microscopy, image analysis (training provided), microfluidics and may employ immunohistochemistry, FACS, or RNA-seq. Biologists with strong lab skills and motivation to learn quantitative methods are especially welcome. This is a chance to bridge immunology and physics, with potential impacts on fundamental and translational research.
Skills required: A background in biology or a related field and an interest in interdisciplinary research are essential. Experience with cell biology and microscopy is highly desirable. Previous experience in microfluidics, image analysis, or coding (Python/Matlab) is a plus, but not mandatory. Possibility of continuing the project as a PhD, depending on funding and mutual interest.
Dernières Publications en lien avec le projet :
1. Fusilier et al., Macrophages restrict tumor immune infiltration by controlling collagen topography, 11(117) (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adw8291
2. Pineau et al., Functionalized Lipid Droplets and Microfluidics Approach to Study Immune Cell Polarity In Vitro, Methods Mol Biol., 2654:345-362 (2023). DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3082-4_20
3. Pinon et al., Phenotyping Polarization Dynamics Of Immune Cells Using A Lipid Droplet -Cell Pairing Microfluidic Platform, Cell Reports Methods (2022). DOI:10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100335
4. Pineau et al., Microtubules restrict F-actin polymerization to the immune synapse via GEF-H1 to maintain polarity in lymphocytes, eLife (2022). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.78330
5. Merino-Cortés et al., Diacylglycerol kinase Z promotes actin cytoskeleton remodeling and mechanical forces at the B cell immune synapse, Sci. Signal. (2020). DOI:10.1126/scisignal.aba0416
6. Kumari et al., Actomyosin-driven force patterning controls endocytosi