From January 12 to 14, 2026, PEPR PROPSY and its scientific director Marion Leboyer had the honor of welcoming Professor Robert Dantzer as a visiting professor as part of the governance project and the ImmunoPsy targeted project.
The visit by Prof. Robert Dantzer, a world-renowned expert for his work on inflammation in psychiatric disorders, was a highlight for the ImmunoPsy project, which explores the links between the immune system and psychiatric disorders.
During these three days, organized successively in Bordeaux, Créteil, and Paris, Professor Robert Dantzer shared his expertise with key players in French and international research (researchers, clinicians, and students) on the challenges of immunopsychiatry, scientific advances, clinical perspectives, and ongoing collaborative projects.
The first session, held in Bordeaux, focused on autoimmunity in psychiatry: from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside. Moderated by Laurent Groc, it addressed the autoimmune mechanisms involved in psychiatric disorders.
Discussions also focused on:
- ongoing clinical trials, presented by Frédéric Villega,
- autoantibodies directed against cholinergic receptors, with a presentation by Uwe Maskos,
- interactions between genetics and environment in neural wiring, explored by Sonia Garel.
The day ended with a networking session with doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and young researchers, promoting interdisciplinary exchanges.
On this second day, at the Albert-Chenevier Hospital in Créteil, the focus was on the French Minds cohort and collaborative projects in immunopsychiatry.
The program included:
- a presentation by Marion Leboyer on the French Minds cohort and the ImmunoPsy program,
- presentations on immunogenetics, inflammation, proteomics, and mental illness, with Wahid Boukouaci and Mireille Laforge,
- a proteomic analysis of patients with bipolar disorder presenting with inflammation, with Bruno Pedraz,
- metabolomic markers, with Ariel Frajerman,
- a discussion on data storage and analysis, led by Andrii Kulakowski.
The afternoon featured presentations on:
- metabolic syndrome, epidemiological data, and biological mechanisms, by Ophélia Godin,
- mitochondrial abnormalities, with Jérémy Bernard,
- clinical trials on IL-2 in psychiatric disorders, presented by David Klatzmann.
The last day in Paris focused on cellular immunity, infections, and current and future projects.
Highlights included:
- a discussion on clinical trials,
- a presentation by Mireille Laforge, Isabelle Nel, and Guislaine Carcelain on adaptive cellular immunity and viral pathogenesis,
- a presentation on innate immune responses to viral infections, with Vincent Vieillard, Caroline Petitdemange, and Maud Apavou.
The discussions paved the way for new research projects, joint publications, and, ultimately, therapeutic advances for patients suffering from psychiatric disorders with an immune component.
A big thank you to Prof. Robert Dantzer for his expertise and availability, to all the speakers and participants, and to our partner universities and hospitals!