Cell biology studies how cells work — their proliferation, differentiation and communication — and forms the experimental bedrock of drug discovery : it is at the scale of the cell that a hypothesis is tested, that molecules are screened and that the effect of a target is observed. Today’s cellular models, increasingly close to human physiology, make it a field of constant innovation: high-throughput screening, organoid culture, live-cell imaging.
Inovarion deploys a broad range of cell-biology techniques, in vitro and ex vivo. Flow and mass cytometry allow fine phenotyping of cell populations, in particular immune cells. Ex vivo cultures — notably precision-cut tumour slices — offer a predictive model where a targeted therapy can be evaluated directly on a patient’s tissue, preserving the original architecture and microenvironment. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), often patient-derived, recreate in the laboratory cell types that are otherwise hard to access. Added to these are three-dimensional and spheroid cultures, human cell lines, co-cultures and functional cell assays (proliferation, migration, differentiation).
These techniques feed into every therapeutic area. In oncology, tumour slices, spheroids and migration assays are used to study the tumour and its response to treatment; the laboratory notably contributed to developing CAR-T cells directed against mesothelin in prostate cancer[3]. In immunology, spectral cytometry describes immune subpopulations and dendritic-cell activity. In haematology, iPSC-derived megakaryocytes and a three-dimensional bone-marrow model reconstitute haematopoiesis. In cardiology, iPSC cardiomyocytes and engineered cardiac tissue reproduce the contraction of the human myocardium. Metabolism (hMADS adipocyte lines) and reproduction (trophoblast models of pregnancy)[6] complete this picture.
Inovarion’s strength lies in matching the cellular model to the question at hand — from screening on cell lines through to patient-derived cultures, as close as possible to human physiology. This approach combines naturally with imaging (live-cell microscopy) and molecular biology (genetically modified lines), within a single platform. Inovarion thus supports its partners from target validation to drug-candidate evaluation, drawing on its command of cellular models, often upstream of animal models.
See also: Flow cytometry.
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Representative publications
- Kervella et al. Simtuzumab Attenuates Loxl2-Mediated Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Preserves Cardiac Function in LMNA Mutation-Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Circ Heart Fail, 2026. PubMed
- Auditeau et al. Protein S Enhances the Phagocytosis of Phosphatidylserine-Exposing Erythrocytes: Implications in Sickle Cell Disease. Am J Hematol, 2026. PubMed
- Folmont et al. Targeting Aggressive Prostate Carcinoma Cells with Mesothelin-CAR-T Cells. Biomedicines, 2025. Record → · PubMed
- Lordier et al. Increased RhoA pathway activation downstream of αIIbβ3/SRC contributes to heterozygous Bernard Soulier syndrome. Haematologica, 2025. Record → · PubMed
- Simon et al. Immune characterization of lupus nephritis patients undergoing dialysis. J Transl Autoimmun, 2025. Record → · PubMed
- Degrelle et al. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles coated with benzo[a]pyrene modify aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity, trophoblast differentiation and mitochondrial network phenotype in human placenta. Part Fibre Toxicol, 2025. PubMed
- Krossa et al. SETDB1 is critically required for uveal melanoma growth and represents a promising therapeutic target. Cell Death & Disease, 2025. PubMed
- Scerbo et al. In vivo targeted and deterministic single-cell malignant transformation. eLife, 2025. Record → · PubMed
- Crickx et al. Rituximab-resistant splenic memory B cells and newly engaged naive B cells fuel relapses in patients with immune thrombocytopenia. Sci Transl Med, 2021. Record → · PubMed
- Blériot et al. A subset of Kupffer cells regulates metabolism through the expression of CD36. Immunity, 2021. Record → · PubMed