Pierre-Yves Mantel, Ph.D.
Group leader
Pierre-Yves completed biochemistry at the University of Fribourg and then obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, studying regulatory T cells in Carsten Schmidt-Weber’s lab. As a postdoc, Pierre-Yves trained with Matthias Marti at the Harvard School of Public Health to investigate the mechanisms of parasite-host communication during malaria. His postdoctoral research was supported by fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Novartis Foundation.
Email — Google Scholar — UniFR profile
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Smart Ikechukwu Mbagwu
Ph.D. Student
With a background in anatomical sciences from Madonna University and University of Lagos both in Nigeria. Smart was engaged as a teaching faculty member in the Department of Anatomy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria before obtaining the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for PhD to purse his doctoral training at the University of Fribourg. His current research involves working on various aspect of cerebral malaria. In the lab of Pierre-Yves Mantel, he has been characterizing and investigating the effects of malaria infected red blood cell-derived extracellular vesicles (iRBC-EVs) on immune aspects of malaria by using in vitro human cellular models of microglia and gamma delta T-cells. Additionally. He has also been characterizing the histological, molecular and to some degree the functional properties of the microcirculation in the human brain. For doing so, he uses human brain specimens for microscopic studies, as well as an in vitro model for human endothelial of the microcirculation. In general, his research is aimed at elucidating the possible mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria.
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Kehinde Adebayo Babatunde
PhD Student
Education: BSc, Human anatomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Nigeria
PhD, Medical Science (Inflammation and Infectious diseases), University of Fribourg, Switzerland (In-view).
PhD Mobility Study, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Research: Bayo is currently investigating how malaria infected red blood cell (iRBC) derived extracellular vesicles perturbs innate immune cell functions during malaria infection in vitro both at population and single cell level. In collaboration with Daniel Irimia lab’s at MGH/Harvard Medical School, we are using specially designed microfluidic device to study interactions of neutrophil and iRBC derived extracellular vesicles at a single cell resolution. In addition, Bayo is working on providing evidences of chemotaxis and swarming of immune cells using high throughput microfluidic device. Demonstrating chemotaxis and swarming in HL-60 neutrophil like cells could open more insights into the very crucial swarming process in primary neutrophils during inflammation and infection.
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Bibin Yesodha Subramanian
PhD Student
Bibin obtained his Bachelor degree in Microbiology and Master degree in Biotechnology in India. His research interest lies in the field of host-pathogen interaction and immune cells activation mechanisms. Bibin began his Ph.D. in Mantel lab, where he is investigating the functions of iRBC derived extracellular vesicles in immune regulation. To achieve that, he will employ RNA-Seq analysis, CRISPR – Cas9 functional genomics, Immuno-Fluorescence imaging, and Mouse models. Before joining the lab, he was working at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland studying the role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in metabolic diseases and NGS based molecular profiling of human cancers.
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Marianne Blanchard
Lab Manager
Before joining the University of Fribourg, Marianne acquired considerable experience in working in several diagnostic labs.