Farida Djouad

INSERM

Dr Farida Djouad, Director of Research at INSERM, obtained her PhD in Biology and Health from the University of Montpellier, France, in 2006. During her PhD thesis, together with her team, they were among the first to discover the immunoregulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Since then, she has made a significant contribution to understanding the in vitro and in vivo mechanisms involved in the immunoregulatory functions of MSCs and their therapeutic potential in osteoarticular diseases. From 2006 to 2008, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIAMS), Bethesda, in the laboratory of Prof. Rocky Tuan, in the field of MSCs and cartilage engineering. Since 2013, she heads the “Mechanisms of regeneration and therapeutic applications” group at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy (IRMB), Montpellier, France. From 2023, she is the scientific leader of the Immun4Cure university hospital institute, which aims to (i) improve understanding of systemic autoimmune diseases, (ii) propose their earlier detection, (iii) improve patient care pathways, and (iv) develop innovative precision therapeutic strategies. Her current research focuses on two main axes: (i) the study of tissue, organ and limb regeneration processes in vertebrates, triggered by injury or ablation, and (ii) the development of innovative precision therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.