Curzio Rüegg, Head of Research: Curzio Rüegg graduated from Basel University Medical School in 1985. He attended the Postgraduate Course in Experimental Medicine and Biology in Zürich and did postdoctoral research training at the Department of Inflammation and Allergy of CIBA-GEIGY in Basel (Dir. Theo Staehlin) and with Robert Pytela and Dean Sheppard at the Lung Biology Center, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and clinical training in internal medicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland. In 1993 he moved to CePO with a SCORE A fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to head the research laboratory at ISREC. In 1999 he joined the Medical Faculty of the University of Lausanne as assistant professor and in 2003 was promoted associate professor. In 2002 he was appointed affiliated scientist at ISREC. Curzio Rüegg’s long-standing research interest is the study of integrin-mediated cell adhesion and signaling in lympohcytes and angiogenic endothelial cells, including tumor-mediated immunosuppression and tumor angiogenesis.
Agnese Mariotti, Project Head: Agnese Mariotti graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in 1990 and in Pharmacy in 1991 from the University of Pavia (Italy). She then continued her studies at the Department of Genetics of the same university and obtained a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 1995. From 1996 to the end of 2001 she was postdoctoral fellow in Filippo Giancotti’s laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she studied the regulation of integrin function during carcinoma invasion. In November 2001, she joined the laboratory. Agnese Mariotti's current research interest is the study of signaling by adhesion molecules during cell migration and invasion, and in particular the regulation of signaling pathways in membrane microdomains of melanoma cells.
Gian Carlo Alghisi, Postdoctoral fellow: Gian Carlo Alghisi studied chemistry at the EPFL in Lausanne from 1983 to 1986 and biochemistry from 1986 at the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Geneva were he graduated in 1991. Thereafter he moved back to Lausanne in the group of Susan Gasser at ISREC where he did his PhD thesis on yeast DNA topoisomerase II phosphorylation. In 1995 he joined the group of Neil Brockdorff at the MRC in London where he worked on X chromosome inactivation. In 1999 he returned to Switzerland and joined the group of Bernard Sordat to work on the role of Laminin 5 in the metastatization of colon cancer. Since December 2002 he is working in the CePO laboratory. He is currently investigating the role of integrin cytoplasmic domains in the regulation of integrin function with the main purpose of developing new strategies for blocking vascular integrin function in angiogenic endothelial cells.
Jelena Zaric, Postdoctoral fellow: Jelena Zaric graduated from Faculty of Molecular Biology, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1989. Both MS (1993) and PhD (1996) studies were done at Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering in Belgrade. In 1998 she was appointed assistant professor of biochemistry at Faculty of Molecular Biology, University of Belgrade. In 2001 she moved to Switzerland and did postdoctoral research at CMU, Dept. of Clinical pathology, University of Geneva. She joined the CePO laboratory in 2002. She is investigating the role of COX-2 and prostaglandins in angiogenesis and cancer progression.
Laura Ciarloni, Postdoctoral fellow: Laura Ciarloni graduated in Biological Sciences in 1999 at the University of Trieste, Italy. From 1997 to 1999 she worked as diploma student in the laboratory of C. Schneider (LNCIB, Trieste), on the genetic neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth. After graduation and until 2002, she took part in a European sequencing project of the parasite Leishmania major, as research associate at the University of Trieste. In 2003 she enrolled at the ISREC International PhD Program in Cathrin Brisken's laboratory, with a project on the mouse mammary gland development. In December 2006 she joined the CePO as postdoctoral fellow. Her project aims to identify surrogate markers for tumour angiogenesis in the blood of patients, and is developed in collaboration with Diagnoplex.
Sylvain Monnier-Benoit, Postdoctoral fellow: Sylvain studied biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology at the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France. where he received his licence in 2002. He did his PhD in Life Sciences and Health at the same university on predicitive and prognostic factors in epithelial carcinogenesis in relation ship with papilloma virus infection. He graduated in 2006. He joined the CePO Laboratorin at the end of 2006 as postdoctoral fellow to work on a project aimed at identifying molecular markers for early colon cancer detection in collaboration with Diagnoplex.
Frédérique Baruthio, PhD Student: Frédérique Baruthio got a Master of Science from the University of Lyon (Cell Biology and Physiology section) in 2002. She then joined the INSERM Unit of Doctor P. Clezardin in Laennec School of Medecine (Lyon). There she worked on human breast cancer cells and obtained her post-graduate diploma in Biology of bone, joints and biomaterials of calcified tissues (Paris and Lyon) in 2003. She started her PhD studies within the ISREC International PhD program and joined the CePO laboratory early in February 2004. She carries out a study on the molecular mechanisms of melanoma progression.
Natsuko Imaizumi, PhD Student: Natsuko Imaizumi did her BSc studies at the National Cancer Center Research Institute (Department of Biology), Japan, in 2002, and she was involved in studies on establishment of human osteosarcoma cell lines with high or low metastatic potential. She then got a master of Medical Science from the University of Tokyo (Department of Molecular Pathology) in 2004. There she worked on mechanism of lymphangiogenesis. In fall 2003 she enrolled in the international PhD program in ISREC and joined the CePO laboratory in March 2004. She carries out a study on the gene expression analysis in monocytes in response to tumor angiogenesis.
Gregory Bieler, Research Associate: Gregory Bieler graduate in Biology at the University of Geneva in 1991. He first worked as research associate at the Lausanne branch of the Ludwig Institut for Cancer Research in Epalinges. In 1995, he joined the CePO laboratory as research associate. He is currently analyzing the effect of TNF on gene expression in endothelial cells by DNA microarray technology.
Patricia Werffeli-George, Technical assistant: Patricia Werffeli obtained her diploma as 'laborantine médicale' in 1977, Thereafter she worked at theDepartment of Dermatology, University Hospital, in the carcinogenesis group (Dr. R. Tyrell) at ISREC, in the laboratory of Neurochemistry of Prof. Honegger , Institute of Physiology, UNIL, the departmet of nutrition, Nestec SA Research Center, and at the Division of Surgical Research, Prof . Aebischer, at CHUV. Patricia Werffeli joined the CePO laboratory in 1997. She is working on a NCCR-associated project focusing on the identification and validation of surrogate markers of tumor angiogenesis.
Robert Driscoll, Technical assistant: Robert Driscol recieved his MSc. from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City in 1989. From 1989 to 1991 he worked in the lab of Kerry Bloom at University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill. From 1991 to 1992 he was at the CNR in Naples, Italy in the Laboratory of Prof. Iaccarino. In 1992 he went to the CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France to join the group of Lionello Bossi. From 1994 to 2000 he was at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, UCSF, San Francisco, in the lab of Dr. David Dichek. In 200 he moved to Lausanne at the department of Cardiology, University Hopital (CHUV). In 2002 he joined the CePO laboratory on the NCCR program. He is currently working on the identification of surrogate markers of angiogenesis.
Lionel Ponsonnet, Technical assistant: Lionel Ponsonnet obtained his diploma as "laborant en biologie" in July 1997 after a tree years training in the laboratory of the World Health Organization laboratory at BIL and in the group of Hans Acha-Orbea at the institute of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne. Thereafter he joined the group of experimental pathology group of Bernard Sordat at ISREC, where he worked on the role of integrins in invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer. In February 2002 he joined the laboratory of the CePO at ISREC. He is currently working on a project aimed at understanding the role and regulation of vascular integrins in tumor angiogenesis. By the way, he is the Webmaster of the site you are visiting (if you have comments send them to him!).
Roger Stupp, Head clinical research unit: Roger Stupp graduated from Zurich University Medical School and subsequently trained in Internal Medicine at the Langenthal/Bern County Hospital and the University Hospital of Zurich. He then specialized in hematology and oncology and spent three years as a fellow in medicine, hematology/oncology at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Cancer Center. His special interests include treatment of malignant brain tumors, head and neck and lung cancer, and in particular the development of new drugs and the association of chemotherapy and radiation. Since 1996 he is Staff Physician at the Multidisciplinary Oncology Center (CePO) at the University Hospital in Lausanne (CHUV). He is co-president of the neurooncology section of the Swiss Cooperative Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), and secretary of the Brain Tumor Group of the European Association for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Roger Stupp chairs a large international randomized trial evaluating new treatments for glioblastoma multiforme.
Julien Laurent, Postdoctoral fellow: Julien Laurent studied immunology at the faculty of medicine of Grenoble (France). After receiving his PhD graduated from University of Grenoble in 2003, he moved to Oxford (UK) working in a Biotechnology company, and in October 2005, he joined the CePO laboratory. He is currently involved in translational projects in Immunotherapy and angiogenesis. His own research interest is the identification of bone-marrow derived cells in cancer patients, implicated in tumor growth and metastasis. By his expertise in multiparametric flow cytometry analysis, he is supervising the flow cytometry platform at the CePO.
Eveline Faes- Van't Hull, Technical assistant: Eveline Faes-van’t Hull, obtained her diploma as medical laboratory technicien in 1969, with training in histology, clinical chemistry, endocrinology and hematology. From 1971 to 1988 she worked at the department for experimental pathology technician and research and educational assistant at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. During that time she worked on several projects focusing on experimental leukemia and reactivation of CMV. In 1996 she joined the CePO laboratory, first working on the expansion of hematopoietic progenitor cells and currently on the identification of bone marrow-derived cells implicated in angiogenesis.
Anne Papaïoannou, Research associate: Anne Papaïoannou obtained her professional master in biotechnologies from the Catholic University of Lyon in 2001. During her 18 months training in immunology at INRS (Canada) she studied intracellular activation signals in lymphoma and ICAM-1 isoforms. Then she worked 4 years on dendritic cells and prion proteins at CEA in Grenoble. She joined the CePO laboratory in November 2005. She is working on a project of immunotherapy for melanoma patients.
Ferdy Lejeune, Honorary Professor: Ferdy Lejeune graduated from the Free University of Brussels Medical School, Belgium, in 1964 and trained in Surgical Oncology at the Jules Bordet Institute, Cancer Centre of the same university. He spent two years fellowship at the Chester-Beatty Research Institute in London with Peter Alexander and Gordon Hamilton Fairley and delivered his PhD thesis in tumour immunology in Brussels in 1976. Since then, his special interest is melanoma biology, immunology and clinical management. He became Staff Member at the Department of Surgery of Bordet Institute and founded the Laboratory of Oncology and Experimental Surgery. From 1992 to 2004, he was Professor of Oncology at Lausanne University Medical School and Director of CePO and Affiliated Clinical Member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. In 1995, he won the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Award for Distinguished Work in Tumor Immunology (New York), for his pioneer work on the use of TNF in isolated limb perfusion for melanoma and sarcoma. He is past president of the Melanoma Group and of the Chairman’s Conference of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Editor in chief of Melanoma Research.