Philippe JUIN

My research team studies mechanisms controlling mitochondrial integrity in cells that compose epithelial tumor ecosystems.

Why? Because these mechanisms, critically regulated by BCL-2 family proteins, influence tumor progression. They convert stress cues associated with pathologic growth and treatments into mitochondrial permeabilization/protection inputs, leading to individual cell death/survival decisions and damage signalling.

With what purpose? To define anti-tumor approaches based on the deleterious exacerbation of this “mitochondrial permeabilization stress” and/or on the exploitation of its extrinsic effects. The applied objective of our fundamental research on the modulation of tumor evolution by mitochondrial integrity control is to optimize the anti-tumor effects of BH3 mimetics targeting BCL-2 homologues.