Personal information
Biography
I am principal investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology (MEEP) at Institut Pasteur de Tunis where I’m leading a group working on “MECHANISMS AND TARGETS FOR ACTIVE BIOMOLECULES IN CANCER” with a focus on cellular actors linked to drug resistance.
My scientific interest is basically getting more insights into the cell-bioactive molecules interaction field and understanding the molecular and cellular interactions in several cancers as models (colon, breast, Leukemia, melanoma...). As tools, I focused on characterizing bioactive compounds that can not only kill cancer cells but also target their microenvironment and could restore drug sensitivity. Thus, identifying mechanisms and novel biomarkers behind such resistance and cell targets of these biomolecules constitutes my ultimate goal.
I did my PhD work (1999-2004) in the laboratory of venoms and toxins, Institut Pasteur de Tunis on genetic engineering of scorpion toxins. I then performed a three year post doctorate (2004-2007) at the Institute of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research UMR CNRS 6543, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France on “The role of ERK signaling pathway in tumor angiogenesis”. I was financed by the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR). In 2008, I got a permanent position at the "Institut Pasteur de Tunis". I obtained a degree of ‘Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches’ in cell Biology in 2011.