Joëlle Sobczak & Mathieu Boissan

Joëlle Sobczak and Mathieu Boissan are co-leaders of a research team at Sorbonne University in partnership with Inserm, based at Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris. Sobczak holds the position of Professor (PU) while Boissan serves as a University Lecturer-Hospital Practitioner (MCU-PH). They jointly lead Equipe 3, which focuses on metastatic dissemination, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell senescence, invasion, and chemoresistance in cancer biology. Their research investigates the dual role of TGF-β signaling in cancer progression, from early tumor suppression to late-stage metastatic promotion.

Their research interests center on TGF-β signaling in cellular plasticity and cancer, with specific focus on nucleoside diphosphate kinases in metastasis, KIF20A kinesin in tumor progression, and metal-based anti-tumor drugs. They study how cellular processes like epithelial-mesenchymal transition, senescence, and invasion contribute to cancer aggressiveness and chemoresistance. Their work bridges fundamental molecular mechanisms with potential therapeutic applications, particularly in understanding how TGF-β signaling can be targeted to prevent metastasis.

Analysis of their recent publications reveals a strong focus on cancer cell signaling mechanisms, particularly TGF-β pathways and their role in metastasis. Their work spans molecular biology, cell signaling, and cancer pharmacology, with increasing emphasis on therapeutic development in recent years. Key research themes include ubiquitin ligases in TGF-β signaling, nucleoside diphosphate kinases as metastasis suppressors, and novel metal-based anti-cancer compounds that overcome chemoresistance.

As team leaders, they supervise multiple PhD students and postdoctoral researchers including J. Selot, S. Amhaz, and C. Monraz. Their laboratory is part of a larger collaborative structure at Saint-Antoine Hospital that includes three specialized teams investigating different aspects of TGF-β signaling in cancer. The team benefits from collaborations with chemists at IPCM, Paris, for developing novel metallodrugs, and maintains strong connections with both basic science and clinical researchers.

Their laboratory is housed at Saint-Antoine Hospital in the Kourilsky Building at 184, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris, France. The team operates within a multidisciplinary environment that includes molecular biologists, clinicians, and biochemists working collaboratively on cancer research. They are part of Sorbonne University's research ecosystem with strong ties to Inserm, facilitating both fundamental research and potential clinical translation of their findings.