CEPR - FAIR Website

The Research Center for Respiratory Diseases

– Inserm U1100 –Tours, France ; (french acronym “CEPR”)

CEPR-Inserm U1100 is developing a research continuum from understanding the mechanisms of lung infection and inflammation up to the validation of aerosol administration of therapeutic agents.

CEPR involves three complementary research teams, namely: « Respiratory infection and Immunity », « Proteolytic Mechanisms in Inflammation » and « Aerosol therapy and Biotherapeutics for respiratory diseases». This multidisciplinary structure of CEPR makes it possible to conduct both molecular and technological studies, as well as preclinical and clinical studies. CEPR collaborates with academic partners as well as with private partners (ranging from start-ups to big pharma).

Team “Respiratory infection & Immunity”

is expert in:

“anti-infective immunity” by investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the interaction between host and pathogens in the lung mucosa;
“new antimicrobial strategies”, especially concerning Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its antibiotic-resistance mechanisms.

The team gathers immunologists, microbiologists and physicians, all experts in the study of respiratory diseases. One of our major research interests is related to the development of new strategies against major respiratory pathogens such as influenza viruses as well as antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

In that last regard, our skills involve the in vitro determination of minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations and the evaluation of synergistic effects of compounds against different strains of P. aeruginosa presenting different resistant mechanisms (NB: these include not only laboratory but also clinical strains). We also manage ex vivo and in vivo experiments to evaluate the therapeutic effect of anti-P. aeruginosa treatments.

The team has access to core facilities for microbiology (microbiological safety workbenchs, incubators, etc.) and immunological studies (cytometry, Bioplex, ELISA, etc.), as well as to an animal facility for mice experiments (housing, surgery, imaging…).

Visit CEPR website

FAIR collaborators

Mustapha Si-Tahar, PhD

Head of the Research Center of Respiratory Diseases and leader of team “Respiratory Infection & Immunity”.

Virginie Hervé, PhD/ Researcher-lecturer at the University of Tours in the fields of immunology and microbiology /

Delphine Fouquenet/ Technician, Lab Manager and safety officer /

Virginie Vasseur/ Research Engineer /

Christophe Paget, Ph.D. (CR Inserm) / Working on “anti-infective immunity”, Deputy leader of team Respiratory Infection & Immunity /

Thomas Baranek/ Researcher-lecturer at the University of Tours in the field of immunology /

Raquel Maia, PhD/ Post-doctoral Fellow /

Adeline Cezard, PhD/ Post-doctoral Fellow /

Team “Aerosoltherapy and Biotherapeutics for Respiratory Diseases”

is a technology-oriented team with a multidisciplinary and translational approach. The team is specialized in the area of drug aerosols for inhalation therapy to treat respiratory diseases. The team has outstanding expertise in pulmonary delivery of biotherapeutics, in particular protein therapeutics. It gathers physicists, pharmacists, biologists and physicians specializing in the use of inhaled aerosol drugs to treat respiratory diseases. The team was the first to develop a drug delivery system for the deposition of an antibody in the deep lungs in case of pulmonary intoxication due to ricin toxin. The team’s expertise covers all aspects related to antibody inhalation for respiratory diseases - formulation, device optimization, POC and clinical trials. It was the first to develop a drug delivery system for the deposition of a biotherapeutics in the deep lungs in case of pulmonary intoxication due to ricin toxin.