IECM (UMR 1383 Oniris VetAgroBio/INRAE)

Cellular and Molecular Immuno-Endocrinology

The Unit briefly

The Unit briefly

The IECM unit focuses on the interaction between the endocrine and immune systems and its implications for the balance between tolerance and immunity, with the aim of improving the health and wellbeing of animals and humans.

A few figures:

Two sites Chantrerie and Géraudière,
Two platforms: an A1/A2 rodent animal facility & the B-FHIT platform (Bioproduction for Health and Innovative Therapy),
21 people: seven researchers and research professors, six engineers, four technicians and administrative staff, four doctoral students and student interns (M2, engineer, veterinarian…).

Keywords: Immunomodulation, Extracellular Vesicles, Bioproduction, Stress, Health, Wellbeing.

News from the unit on LinkedIn!

Discover IECM on video

IECM is a joint research unit (UMR 1383), bringing together Oniris and INRAE through the Animal Health Department and the Pays de Loire Centre. The research carried out in the unit aims to develop strategies to (re)educate the immune system, with a view to enhancing health in both animals and humans. In human health, these strategies are based on the development of extracellular vesicles with immunomodulatory properties that could limit autoimmune responses in diseases such as type 1 diabetes. In animal health, the research aims to gain a better understanding of the link between rearing conditions, stress levels and the immune competence of pigs.

The Unit takes full advantage of the interdisciplinary expertise of its members (veterinary medicine, engineering, immunology, physiology, pharmacy, molecular and cellular biology, etc…), who jointly conduct fundamental and applied research programs, adopting a translational ‘One Health, One Medicine’ approach. The inclusion of vets and a pharmacist within the Unit facilitates the implementation of veterinary clinical research projects and enables the transfer of new pre-clinical concepts to clinical research in animal and human health. Unit is part of the Carnot Institute ‘France Futur Élevage.

The team

Discover the B-FHIT platform

Research themes

The research carried out in the IECM unit aims to answer the following question:

How can we (re)educate the immune system to improve human and animal health?

It is structured around two main areas:

* The analysis of the early development of the immune system, with the aim of helping individuals cope with a wide range of challenges – some of which are unpredictable – in a context of global change;

* The selection, design, production and characterization of immunoregulatory extracellular vesicles, with the aim of (re)programming the immune system, for example in the context of type 1 diabetes.

Teaching

Lecturers and researchers at the IECM Unit organize and deliver the initial training for Oniris veterinary students and engineering students in Physiology, Pathophysiology, Biotechnology and Anatomical Pathology.

They are also involved in organizing Master’s programs at Nantes University:

* Within the ‘Pharmaceutical and Health Products Sciences’ specialization: responsible for the ‘Health Bioproduction’ pathway and for teaching modules within the ‘Biotherapies, Medicines and Innovative Therapies’ pathway;

* Within the ‘Health Biology’ specialization: member of the steering committee and responsible for a course unit within the MICAS study module (Microbiota, Gut, Brain, Diet, Health) and responsible for a core curriculum course unit (Integrated Physiology and Animal Models).

Platforms

The IECM Unit is responsible for two experimental facilities:

* The A1 and A2 Rodent Animal Facility: with a capacity of 1,000 rodents, the 350 m² facility comprises several housing areas capable of accommodating SPF, A1 and A2 animals. It also has two experimental rooms equipped for rodent surgery,

* The B-FHIT platform: (“Bioproduction for Health and Innovative Therapy”), supported by the Pays de la Loire region as part of the “Ligerian Research Infrastructures” scheme. This platform, located at the Géraudière site, offers continuity between upstream and downstream stages within a single facility, complete with tools for characterizing biotherapies, and more specifically extracellular vesicles. It is equipped with laboratory-scale and pilot-scale facilities enabling the optimization and assessment of the impact of upscaling bioproduction processes on the quality attributes of biotherapeutics.