Pr. Frédéric TRIEBEL, M.D., Ph. D.


- Professor of Immunology, specialist in cancer therapy
- Heading two research groups, one working on cloning new tumor antigens, the other on the developpment of new vaccine procedures (cancer and HIV)
- 48 years old, 115 publications and 12 patents
University : Université Paris-Sud (Paris XI)
Faculté de Pharmacie
Laboratoire d’Immunologie des Tumeurs
5, rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 92296 Châtenay-Malabry, France.

Hospital : Institut Gustave-Roussy
Departement de Biologie Clinique
Laboratoire d’Immunologie Cellulaire
36, rue Camille Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif, France.
Tel : +33 1 42 11 40 68
Fax : + 33 1 42 11 52 68
E-mail: ftriebel@igr.fr


EDUCATION

1971 French National Baccalaureat, section mathematics
1981 M.D. Poitiers Medical School
1985 Ph.D. in Immunology - University Paris VI

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING

Research Fellowships :

1979 Medical Oncology Laboratory, Pr. W.A. Robinson, Colorado University, Denver, USA
1983-84 Human Immunogenetics Laboratory, Pr. Debré, Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital, Paris
1985 Molecular Biology Laboratory, Pr. Chambon, Strasbourg University
1986 Immunology Laboratory, Pr. J-P Levy, Cochin Hospital, Paris

POSITIONS HELD

1977 Resident Poitiers Hospital
1978-83 Resident Paris Hospitals
1979 Research Fellow - Colorado University Medical School
1983-84 Gold Medal, Paris Residency program
1984-86 Research Fellow, Paris Hospitals
1986-99 Biologist, Department of Clinical Biology, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif
1990- Professor, "Molecular Immunogenetics and Biotherapy" Université Paris XI , Faculté de Pharmacie Châtenay-Malabry
1993-98 Member of the Institut Universitaire de France
1991-96 Head, INSERM Research Unit U333 "Cancer and the Immune Response" Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif
1991- Head, Laboratory for Cellular Immunology, Department of Clinical Biology, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif
1999- Head, Laboratory for Tumor Immunology, Université Paris XI , Faculté de Pharmacie, Châtenay-Malabry.

INDUSTRIAL EXPERTISE

Consultancies :

1992-96 Immunology Department, Roussel Uclaf, Romainville France.
1994-96 Biotechnology Department, Serono International, Geneva, Switzerland.

Present research collaborations :

Biovector Therapeutics (Toulouse), Serono International (Geneva and Boston), ImmunoDesigned Molecules (IDM, Paris).
" 5th EU framework program, Cell Factory " : " New cancer vaccine " with G. Parmiani (coordinator, Milan), P. de Berardinis (Naples), P. Coulié (Brussels), H-G Rammensee (Tübingen), C.J.M. Melief (Leiden), R. Kiessling (Stockholm), C. Traversari. (Milan)
" N.I.H. Innovation Grant Program " : " hLAG-3Ig as a vaccine adjuvant (amended application)"
Patents :

TCR FR91 01613, FR91 04523, FR91 01487, FR91 04527
LAG-2 FR88 128538
LAG-3 FR90 00126, FR94 05643, FR96 014608, FR97 02126
HSP70-2 FR98 05033
iCE FR99 08224

PAST SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

First trained as a clinical hematologist, Pr. F. Triebel was involved, following its Ph. D. thesis in the field of Immunogenetics, in the understanding of the mechanisms that drive the activation of human antigen-specific T-cells.

In particular, he succeeded in :
  1. sequencing the first a/b T-cell receptor (TCR) chains of an antigen-specific T-cell clone, showing that TCR b chain allelic exclusion is not mandatory in human
  2. identifying the major subset (>60%) of g /d T-cells which is characterized by a unique Vg 9/JP/C1 rearrangement
  3. first cloning the human TCR Vd 2 gene
  4. first cloning 12 human TCR Vb, 7 TCR Va and 14 TCR Va genes
  5. identifying 12 new alternative splicing sites at the TCR a, b and g loci
  6. describing specific sequential TCR g gene rearrangement events during T cell differentiation
  7. identifying 7 Va genes that rearrange at the Jd locus
  8. first reporting the alteration of TCR g /d+ subset ratios in HIV+ patients
  9. first cloning the human LAG-1, LAG-2 and LAG-3 genes
  10. demonstrating that in addition to CD4, MHC class II molecules bind to a second ligand, LAG-3
  11. first characterizing the human CD4/LAG-3 gene locus starting from a YAC library and identifying the LAG-3 promoter regulatory elements
  12. identifying by mutagenesis the LAG-3 amino-acid residues involved in LAG-3/MHC class II and LAG-3/LAG-3 interactions
  13. first characterizing the negative regulatory role of LAG-3 on TCR signaling as well as a LAG-3/CD3-TCR complex association
  14. developing a soluble fusion protein (LAG-3Ig) as a potent vaccine adjuvant in mice for inducing antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses to tumor antigens, hepatitis (HBsAg) and HIV (rgp120) antigens
  15. demonstrating that the vaccine adjuvant effect of LAG-3 is due to the agregation of MHC class II molecules expressed by macrophages and dendritic cells which are subsequently activated to become more efficient antigen presenting cells
  16. demonstrating that some tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are clonally expanded in human tumors (melanoma, colon and renal cell carcinoma, head and neck carcinoma, B-cell neoplasia, neuroblastoma) in response to in situ tumor antigen stimulation
  17. cloning two new tumor antigens (HSP70-2 and iCE) in human renal cell adenocarcinoma