As a PU-PH in rheumatology and a teacher-researcher, my scientific activity is mainly translational, with several areas aimed at improving patient care. For more details, please see my background.

As a teacher-researcher, I have a keen interest in research activities and a strong involvement in its organisation and evaluation.

I have local responsibilities in the organisation of both clinical and fundamental research, as Vice-Chair of the Delegation for Clinical Research and Innovation at Saint-Etienne University Hospital, as Research Advisor to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and as Vice-Chair of the Biomedical and Public Health Research Committee (CRBSP). At regional level, I’m a member of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes GIRCI, and at national level I’m an appointed member of INSERM’s Specialised Scientific Commission 3.

As a PU-PH, I teach medical students as well as Masters students.

In the 3rd year of medical studies, I teach 6 hours of classes in the Musculoskeletal System course, focusing on the biology and pathophysiology of the joint, and in the Immunopathology course, covering the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, as well as the targets and mechanisms of action of cytokine and anti-cytokine treatments.

I am responsible for a teaching block in the 5th year of postgraduate medical studies, with 5 hours of lectures on various inflammatory joint diseases.

I am involved in teaching rheumatology in the third year of medical studies, with a seminar on rheumatoid arthritis and regular contributions to continuing medical education.

I was also the coordinator of the 6th and 7th editions of COFER.

At Masters level, I teach the Exercise Physiology UE and the Immunology UE in the MASTER 1 (DU Pré-Master) Ingénierie de la santé (i-Santé). In the Master 2 Health Engineering (i-Health), I teach osteoimmunology and cartilage physiopathology, as well as the Autonomic Nervous System seminar with a course on ANS and joint inflammation.

As PU-PH in Rheumatology and a teacher-researcher, my scientific activity is primarily translational, with several axes.

During my PhD, I investigated the heterogeneity of rheumatoid arthritis and response to infliximab. During my Post-Doc in Alisa Koch lab, I explored efficacy of green tea extract, and in particular epigallocatechin gallate on arthritis and deciphered various ways to regulate IL-18 bioactivity.

When I joined Saint-Etienne, I focused on bone loss related to arthritis and its regulation. I also investigate the various ways to regulate the apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes and the link with YAP pathway (Robin Caire, PhD student). In the meantime, I developed with Guillaume Courbon (PhD student), and Pr Stephane Paul (lead of GIMAP team of UMR 1111, CIRI), the first animal model demonstrating the direct involvement of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the onset of rheumatoid arthritis with induction of anti-CPP2.

I also try to improve the management of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloathritis. For instance, in a preclinical model, we demonstrated with co-administration in the same time of methotrexate and folic acid was efficient and respond to a wish of the RA patients. I am also the principal investigator of ROC-SpA, a multicentric prospective study funded by a national PHRC, testing two strategies in case of failure of a first anti-TNF therapy. I have also some ongoing work to test the therapeutic drug monitoring to improve the step-down strategy.

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