From Buenos Aires to Toulouse: Nicole Freiberger joins IPBS with an FRM fellowship
IPBS is pleased to welcome Nicole Freiberger, who has joined the team of Frédéric Lagarrigue following the award of a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the Foundation for Medical Research (FRM). Her project will be performed in collaboration Christel Vérollet.
Nicole obtained her PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 2025. Her work focuses on infectious diseases and immunology, fields in which she has already built an impressive early-career record, with several competitive grants, first-author publications and presentations at international scientific conferences.
Nicole’s arrival at IPBS also illustrates the strength of the institute’s international collaborations. She first learned about the opportunity to apply for the FRM fellowship through interactions between Christel Vérollet and Luciana Balboa at the University of Buenos Aires. Both researchers co-direct the MAC-TB/HIV International Research Partnership (IRP) linking IPBS (CNRS, University of Toulouse) with INBIRS (University of Buenos Aires, CONICET) in Argentina. This scientific partnership played a key role in opening new opportunities for young researchers and ultimately led Nicole to join IPBS to pursue her scientific career.
The three-year FRM fellowship will enable her to develop an ambitious research project aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling the activity of osteoclasts, the cells responsible for bone degradation.
Understanding and limiting bone destruction in osteoporosis and cancer
Osteoclasts play a central role in bone remodelling. However, their excessive activation contributes to a range of diseases, including osteoporosis and cancers affecting bone tissue, such as bone metastases and multiple myeloma. While current therapies that inhibit bone resorption can be effective, they may also cause significant side effects, highlighting the need for more targeted and safer therapeutic strategies.
Nicole’s project proposes an innovative approach: rather than directly inhibiting integrins, key adhesion receptors required for osteoclast function, her research will focus on targeting the intracellular signalling pathways that regulate their activation in pathological contexts. This strategy could help overcome compensatory mechanisms that often limit the effectiveness of current treatments.
A project at the heart of IPBS expertise
At IPBS, Nicole will benefit from the institute’s highly collaborative scientific environment and advanced technological platforms. Her work will investigate how signalling pathways controlling integrin activation, particularly those involving the small GTPase Rap1 and the adaptor protein Talin1, regulate osteoclast differentiation, fusion and resorptive activity.
Using unique mouse models and advanced cellular approaches developed at IPBS, she will analyse how these pathways control cytoskeletal organisation and cell adhesion during osteoclast formation, both in vitro and in vivo. The project will also explore how osteoclast activity is influenced by interactions with tumour cells, with the long-term objective of identifying new therapeutic strategies for bone diseases such as osteoporosis and bone metastases.
Strengthening international scientific excellence
The award of this FRM fellowship highlights both the scientific excellence of Nicole’s project and the strong international attractiveness of IPBS. It also reinforces the long-standing scientific ties between IPBS and leading research institutions in Argentina.
By welcoming talented young scientists from around the world, IPBS continues to strengthen its international collaborations while advancing fundamental research and contributing to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for diseases with major societal impact.
