Research teams

Research conducted within the Biodiversity and Fungal Biotechnology (BBF) unit focuses on the ability of filamentous fungi to degrade complex polymers.

The areas of study include fundamental and applied research on the adaptation of fungi to a wide variety of substrates and unfavorable environmental conditions, as well as on the biochemical and structural determinants of enzymes that act on natural and artificial polymers resistant to degradation.

One of the objectives of this research is to characterize fungal enzymatic systems and to propose bio-catalysts for the valorization of plant biomass for use in chemistry and energy. The aim is to develop bio-processes based on renewable carbon resources as an alternative to fossil carbon, with a view toward a circular bioeconomy.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR 1163

Supervision: INRAE - AMU

Director: Dr. Marie-Noëlle ROSSO

Deputy Director: Dr. Anne FAVEL

Research team associated with Pharmacy:

• International Center for Microbial Resources - Filamentous Fungi

  Heads: Anne FAVEL and Quentin ALBERT

Location:

BBF - Biodiversity and Fungal Biotechnology
Aix-Marseille University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 boulevard Jean Moulin - 13005 Marseille

Contacts:

Anne FAVEL: anne.favel@univ-amu.fr

Quentin ALBERT: quentin.albert@univ-amu.fr

Website: https://www.cirm-fungi.fr/

The Cardiovascular and Nutrition Research Center (C2VN), a joint research unit of AMU/INSERM/INRA, brings together 190 permanent researchers, academics, physicians, technical staff, and students within the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy and consists of 5 research teams.

The C2VN deploys expertise across all pathways and targets involved in endothelial pathophysiology, aiming to identify innovative biomarkers and biotherapies that can explore, repair, or regenerate blood vessels.

The C2VN conducts extensive research on venous thrombosis, the role of blood platelets in vascular and inflammatory diseases, and the role of adenosine in cardiac disease. This research is approached through translational and experimental studies, supported by expertise in biobanks and patient cohorts.

In the field of nutrition, the C2VN focuses its research on vascular risk associated with obesity and diabetes, particularly through the application of new methods to image and quantify ectopic fat, and on the effects of micronutrients, specifically fat-soluble vitamins.

To support its studies, the C2VN has developed platforms related to the targeted diseases, some of which are certified by AMU, and is involved in coordinating national and international consortia.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR_S 1263 - UMR_A 1260

Supervision: INRAE - INSERM - AMU

Director: Prof. Françoise DIGNAT-GEORGE

Deputy Director: Prof. Pierre MORANGE

Research teams associated with Pharmacy:

• Human Micronutrition
  Head: Patrick BOREL
• Endothelium, Circulating Cells, and Vascular Pathologies
  Heads: Françoise DIGNAT-GEORGE, Christophe DUBOIS
• New Endothelial Molecular Targets
  Heads: Marcel BLOT-CHABAUD, Stéphane BURTEY
• Adenosinergic System, Dysoxia, Inflammation
  Head: Régis GUIEU

Location:

C2VN - Cardiovascular and Nutrition Research Center
Aix-Marseille University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 boulevard Jean Moulin - 13005 Marseille

Contacts:

Catherine LOY: catherine.loy@univ-amu.fr

Website : https://c2vn.univ-amu.fr/ 

The CERIMED (European Center for Medical Imaging Research) project has been led in Marseille since 2005 by Aix-Marseille University in collaboration with numerous laboratories, institutions, and national and European industries. CERIMED aims to offer a site for synergy and dialogue among the various disciplines of medical imaging sciences, in close partnership with industry.

The goal is to create a European center of excellence that brings together the skills and infrastructure needed to conduct an ambitious research and development program for the design and validation of next-generation imaging systems, which are expected to play a decisive role in addressing major public health issues.

The stated ambition is to position Europe as a leader in the medical imaging market by enhancing synergies among all relevant stakeholders, both institutional and industrial.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UAR 2012

Supervision: CNRS - AMU

Director: Prof. Benjamin GUILLET

Research team associated with Pharmacy:

• Pharmacodynamics Laboratory

Location:

CERIMED - European Center for Medical Imaging Research
Aix-Marseille University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 boulevard Jean Moulin - 13005 Marseille

Contacts:

Benjamin GUILLET: benjamin.guillet@univ-amu.fr

Website: https://www.cerimed-web.eu/

The Marseille Cancer Center (CRCM) is affiliated with Inserm (UMR1068), the CNRS (UMR7258), the University of Aix-Marseille (UM105) and the PACA region's Cancer Center, the Paoli-Calmettes Institute.

It comprises 19 teams and 14 technological platforms and brings together nearly 400 people working on cancer biology and medicine, at the interface of physiology and pathology, fundamental and applied research and clinical practice. This continuum between basic research, translational research and clinical research is truly the hallmark of the CRCM. For example, many of the CRCM's publications are co-authored by scientists and clinicians.

Research areas explored include the communication networks (signals, surface receptors, molecular interactions...) that regulate the action of cancer cells and immune cells and the identification of genetic (from single gene mutations to more complex chromosomal abnormalities), epigenetic and tumor microenvironment (immune cells, fibroblasts,..) alterations that lead to the transformation of a healthy cell into a tumor cell and promote its dissemination.

This work has already contributed to improve our understanding of the disease, how immune cells fight it and the strategies tumor cells use to try to escape them. It has also led to the discovery of new molecular targets that are now being used in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The fundamental focus of the research conducted by the Radical Pharmacochemistry team at the Institut de Chimie Radicalaire (ICR) UMR CNRS 7273, Faculty of Pharmacy of Marseille, is the development of new molecules with pharmacological potential through innovative synthetic tools based on single-electron transfer reactions. The development of these new radical pharmacochemical tools revolves around three main methodologies: SRN1 and related reactions, TDAE strategy, and reactions using manganese acetate. These are associated with various reactions (cyclization, metal-catalyzed coupling, etc.), with or without microwave-assisted technology, and emphasize environmentally friendly protocols. Currently, these three methodologies, which define new synthetic tools for the creation of molecules with anti-infectious potential, are applied across five major projects.

I. “Quinazopole” Project (quinazolines for antimalarial purposes)
II. “Imidazole and Thiazole” Project (antiparasitic: Trichomonas, etc.)
III. “Quinone” Project (anti-Alzheimer’s and prion diseases)
IV. “Benzodioxole and Related” Project (antiviral)
V. “Furan” Project (antiparasitic: Leishmania)

This research is supported by an advanced microwave platform dedicated to “Green Chemistry” (with four microwave reactors, one with an automatic sampler, allowing parallel reactions with temperature and pressure control, in reactors ranging from 0.5-2 mL to 1 L). It also benefits from the integration of the PCR team’s local compound library (over 1,500 compounds) with the national compound library, fostering new collaborations with academic and industrial biologists and enabling the identification of new biological properties through screening.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR 7273

Supervision: AMU - CNRS

Director: Prof. Nicolas FERRE

Research teams associated with Pharmacy:

• PCR – Radical Pharmacochemistry

  Head: Patrice VANELLE

Location:

ICR - Institut de Chimie Radicalaire
Aix-Marseille University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 boulevard Jean Moulin - 13385 Marseille

Contacts:

Thierry TERME: thierry.terme@univ-amu.fr

Françoise ARECCHI: francoise.arecchi@univ-amu.fr

Website: https://icr.univ-amu.fr/

The Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Marine and Continental Ecology (IMBE) develops an integrative approach to the study of biodiversity and socio-ecological systems. IMBE provides both fundamental and applied knowledge on the functions, historical and evolutionary dynamics of biodiversity across all types of Mediterranean ecosystems, from the construction of paleo-ecosystems to their fate in the context of global change. This work also includes connections with civil society on one hand and the challenges of human health on the other.

Through its involvement in research, education, and scientific valorization, IMBE actively participates in environmental transition and sustainable development, contributing to the definition of environmental policies at local, national, and international levels.

IMBE primarily consists of biologists specializing in various fields of ecology, but also includes chemists, legal experts, and specialists in medical or pharmaceutical sciences. IMBE focuses on marine, terrestrial, and aquatic biological systems, ranging from mountainous environments to coastal ecosystems, at various scales of living organization. The transition toward a more resilient and less vulnerable state for these ecosystems, their conservation and restoration, as well as the effects of their degradation on human health, are at the core of our interdisciplinary research and various training initiatives.

Presentation video:

https://tv.imbe.fr/portfolio_page/imbe/

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR_CNRS 7263 - UMR_IRD 237

Supervisors: CNRS - Aix Marseille University - IRD - Avignon University

Director: Prof. Emmanuel CORCKET

DUAs: Prof. Anne Bousquet-Melou, Prof. Carole Borchiellini, Dr. Brigitte Talon, Prof. Armin Bischoff

Research teams associated with Pharmacy:

• Environmental Health and Toxicology (SANTES)

  Head: Pierre-Henri VILLARD

• Functional Ecology: from Socio-ecological Systems to Molecules (ECOSOM)

  Head: Béatrice BAGHDIKIAN

Location:

IMBE - Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Marine and Continental Ecology
Aix-Marseille University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 boulevard Jean Moulin - 13005 Marseille

Contacts:

Pierre-Henri VILLARD: pierre.villard@univ-amu.fr

Béatrice BAGHDIKIAN: beatrice.baghdikian@univ-amu.fr

Website: https://www.imbe.fr/

The Institute of Neurophysiopathology (INP UMR7051), established on January 1, 2018, under the supervision of CNRS and Aix-Marseille University (AMU), is located on the Timone campus of Aix-Marseille University. The INP uniquely combines public and private research within a Joint Research Laboratory, notably through its partnership with the biotechnology company Vect-Horus, which specializes in crossing the blood-brain barrier.

The INP consists of nearly 150 people organized into 11 research teams, dedicated to high-level fundamental, applied, and translational research in neuroscience, with a particular focus on the physiology and pathologies of the brain. The goals of the INP teams are to better understand the organization and functioning of neural cells, as well as the molecular and cellular bases of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease), neuro-oncology (glioblastoma), and neurodevelopmental or neuroinflammatory diseases. The INP aims to develop new therapeutic strategies at the molecular and cellular levels, improve the targeting of therapeutic agents to the brain, and enhance the valorization of its research through patents and promoting transfer to clinical applications.

Additionally, technological platforms (PFNT) in the fields of imaging (NCIS), study of molecular interactions (PINT), stem cell research (SCeNT), and models in neuro-oncology (Petra Tech) further strengthen its research potential and share its expertise with the broader scientific community.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR 7051

Supervisors: AMU - CNRS

Director: Prof. François DEVRED

Research teams associated with Pharmacy:

• Team 8: Gliomagenesis and Microenvironment

  Heads: Emeline TABOURET, Aurélie TCHOGHANDJIAN

• Team 9: Molecular Interactions & Pharmacology

  Heads: Hervé KOVACIC, François DEVRED
   

Location:

INP - Institute of NeuroPhysiopathology
Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille

Contacts :

François DEVRED : francois.devred@univ-amu.fr

Website : https://neuro-marseille.org/laboratoires/institut-de-neurophysiopathologie/ 

The Adhesion and Inflammation Laboratory (LAI) is a multidisciplinary research unit composed of investigators with backgrounds in physics, biology, or medicine. Its objective is to adapt physical concepts and methods to quantitatively understand cellular functions, particularly adhesion and migration, with the aim of applying the findings of fundamental research to clinical problems. Historically, these approaches have focused on immune cells, but they have recently been developed for other cellular models, including parasitic protozoa such as leishmania, coccidia, and amoebas.

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: INSERM U1067, CNRS UMR 7333

Supervisors: AMU, INSERM, CNRS

Director: Dr. Olivier THEODOLY

Deputy Director: Prof. Philippe ROBERT

Location:

Adhesion and Inflammation Laboratory (LAI)
163 Avenue de Luminy – Case 937, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, FRANCE

Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille

Timone Hospital
264 Rue Saint-Pierre

Contacts :

Magali CASANOVA : magali.casanova@univ-amu.fr

Aurélien DUMETRE : aurelien.dumetre@univ-amu.fr

Website : https://labadhesioninflammation.org/

The MCT Laboratory is a Research Unit labeled by Inserm, AMU, and IRBA, focusing on the role of bacterial membranes in antibiotic resistance. It is an interdisciplinary structure at the interface of biology (studying membrane transporters, identifying new therapeutic targets) and chemistry (designing, synthesizing, and optimizing bio-guided organic molecules).

Identification Sheet:

Unit No.: UMR_MD 1 - UMR_S1261

Supervisors: AMU - INSERM - SSA

Director: Jean-Michel BOLLA

Location:

MCT - Membranes and Therapeutic Targets
Aix-Marseille Université - Faculty of Pharmacy - Timone Campus
27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille

Contacts:

Jean-Michel BOLLA: jean-michel.bolla@univ-amu.fr

The main goal of MEPHI is to be in the global top-ten units for research in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, microbiology of microbiota, including microbiota-host relationships, anti-infectious drug resistance and monitoring, paleomicrobiology and translational research; and in the global top ten in terms of knowledge transfer in clinical microbiology including surveillance of diseases and clonal emergence. To achieve these objectives the MEPHI will pursue excellent research driven by scientific curiosity, expanding and illuminating its objects of study by applying renewed technologies; pursuing an open research and integrating researches from the most fundamental aspects to the human and social science research on populations in the field of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology; and will collaborate with VITROME and other research units in IHU Méditerranée Infection.

RITMES (Tropical Infectious Risks, Emerging Microorganisms) is dedicated to research on vector-borne diseases and their arthropod vectors (mosquitoes, ticks, lice, fleas), as well as zoonoses within the framework of One Health research. Parasitic diseases also remain at the core of its work, which combines observational studies and advanced technologies, supported by the equipment and platforms of the IHU Méditerranée Infection Foundation (IHU MI). The laboratory also develops infectious disease surveillance, ranging from epidemiology to genomic monitoring, along with a practical approach to healthcare and health system organization.

With three teams based in the IHU MI building in Marseille, one team in Senegal, and numerous international partners in Algeria, Mali, Niger, and Senegal, UMR RITMES maintains a truly international scope.

Identity Sheet:

Unit Number: UMR 257

Supervising Institutions: AMU – IRD – SSA

Director: Prof. Philippe PAROLA

Research Teams Associated with the Faculty of Pharmacy:

• VEPTES Team

  Leaders: Nadine AZAS

Location:
RITMES – Tropical Infectious Risks, Emerging Microorganisms
Aix-Marseille University – Faculty of Pharmacy – Timone Campus
27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France

Contacts:
Nadine AZAS: nadine.azas@univ-amu.fr