Alain Fischer
Institut Imagine
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Primary Section: 43, Immunology and Inflammation Secondary Section: 41, Medical Genetics, Hematology, and Oncology Membership Type:
International Member
(elected 2019)
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Biosketch
Alain Fischer is an immunologist recognized for his work on primary immunodeficiencies. His is known for his work on the delineation of the molecular basis of many primary immunodeficiencies as well as the implementation of the first successful gene therapy. Alain Fischer was born in Paris, France, he graduated from Paris University in Medicine and Biology, followed by a residency in pediatrics. He was a postdoctoral fellow in immunology at University College, London. He joined the Paris faculty and Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades in 1986 and became Professor at Collège de France in 2013. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and Medicine as well as both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
Research Interests
Alain Fischer's laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic diseases of the immune system that cause predisposition to infections, autoimmunity, inflammation, allergy and cancer. They have unraveled several genetic defects, results that contribute to a better understanding of the physiology of the human immune system, including key molecules of T, B cell differentiation, T cell mediated cytotoxicity and checkpoints of auto-immunity. Based on these findings and observations of revertants from a block in T lymphocyte differentiation, gene therapy was developed to treat the X-linked form of severe combined immunodeficiency by using ex vivo retroviral transduction of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Proof of principle for a sustained correction of the T cell deficiency was provided while improvements of the procedure safety were implementing paving the way for extension of gene therapy usage to other genetic diseases of the hematopoietic system.
