GCIR Annual Symposium 2 Oct 2025
GCIR Annual Symposium 2025: A Day of Science and Collaboration
On 2 October 2025, the Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research (GCIR) held its Annual Symposium at the Louis-Jeantet Foundation Auditorium. The event brought together researchers from the University of Geneva, the GCIR, and leading international institutions for a full day of cutting-edge science and lively discussion.
This year’s symposium focused on advances in inflammation research, spanning infection, autoimmunity, cancer immunology, and tissue immunity. The sessions highlighted the power of translational research and collaboration in addressing complex immune-related diseases.
The programme featured outstanding keynote speakers, including Prof. Debby Bogaert (University of Edinburgh), Prof. Leif Erik Sander (Charité, Berlin), Prof. Caroline Ospelt (University of Zurich), Prof. Julien Bertrand (GCIR, UNIGE), Prof. Santiago Carmona (GCIR, UNIGE), Prof. Paula Nunes-Hasler (GCIR, UNIGE), Prof. Dietmar Zehn (Technical University of Munich), and Prof. Michel Gilliet (CHUV, Lausanne). Their presentations sparked rich discussions and reflected the breadth and depth of current research in the field.
The symposium also showcased the next generation of scientists through short talks by Dr. Matthias Jarlborg, Raphaël Néré, Dr. Hajar El Ahanidi, and Dr. Laure Garnier. Congratulations to Dr. Hajar El Ahanidi, who received the GCIR Young Researcher Award 2025 for her innovative work on spatial network analysis in bladder cancer.
The day concluded with a networking aperitif, providing an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and strengthen collaborations across research groups.
GCIR warmly thanks all speakers, chairs, participants, and sponsors — Light Chain Bioscience | Novimmune SA, Amal Therapeutics, MesenFlow Technologies, LABFORCE, BioLegend, Charles River Laboratories, Microsynth AG, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and the University of Geneva — for their invaluable support and contribution to the success of this event.
We look forward to welcoming you again at next year’s edition for another inspiring day of scientific exchange and discovery.
Programme
09:30 Welcome Address
Prof. Jean Villard
GCIR, UNIGE Faculty of Medicine
Session 1: Infection, Host Defence & Mucosal Immunity
09:45 – 10:15
Prof. Debby Bogaert
Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, UK
The Airway Microbiome and Respiratory Diseases: from phenotype to biotype
10:15 – 10:45
Prof. Leif Erik Sander
Clinic for Infectious Diseases & Pneumology, Charité – University Hospital Berlin, Germany
Ortho- and heterotopic effects of myeloid cells in viral infections
10:45 – 11:15
Coffee Break
Session 2: Autoimmunity & Immunodeficiency
11:15 – 11:45
Prof. Caroline Ospelt
Department of Rheumatology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Fibroblast activation in chronic joint disease
11:45 – 12:15
Prof. Julien Bertrand
GCIR, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Oncostatin M in zebrafish: from understanding haematopoiesis to modelling human bone marrow failure
12:15 – 12:35
Short Talks I
Dr Matthias Jarlborg
GCIR, UNIGE Faculty of Medicine
Cigarette smoke-primed citrullinated HLA-DR4 T cell reactivity is modulated by γδ T cells
Raphaël Néré
GCIR, UNIGE Faculty of Medicine
S-acylation enhances stim1 activity at the immune synapse to regulate Ca2+ signals and T cell activation
12:35 – 14:00
Lunch Break
Session 3: Cancer Immunology & Systems Approaches
14:00 – 14:30
Prof. Santiago Carmona
GCIR, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Defining the Transcriptional Programs of Invasion in Basal Cell Carcinoma
14:30 – 15:00
Prof. Paula Nunes-Hasler
GCIR, Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Give Me a Boost: Rewiring Dendritic Cells via SOCE Modulation for Improved Immunotherapy
15:00 – 15:20
Short Talks II
Dr Hajar El Ahanidi
GCIR, UNIGE Faculty of Medicine
From gene signatures to spatial networks: unravelling drivers of bladder cancer progression
Dr Laure Garnier
GCIR, UNIGE Faculty of Medicine
Nociceptor–tumour microenvironment interactions: toward improved immunotherapy in breast cancer
15:20 – 15:50
Coffee Break
Session 4: Tissue Immunity & Barrier Defence
15:50 – 16:20
Prof. Dietmar Zehn
Center for Infection Prevention, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Generation and maintenance of precursors of exhausted cells
16:20 – 16:50
Prof. Michel Gilliet
Department of Dermatology, University of Lausanne (CHUV), Switzerland
Precision medicine for inflammatory skin diseases
16:50 – 17:00
Closing Remarks
17:00 Onwards
Networking Aperitif
