x-linked genetic factors behind gender bias in rheumatoid arthritis

189 Pages·2013·4.68 MB·English

by  Computing & Communications

SAMI-BARNA KANAAN
X-LINKED GENETIC FACTORS BEHIND GENDER BIAS
IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

DISSERTATION
DISCIPLINE: IMMUNOLOGY; SUPERVISED BY DR. NATHALIE C. LAMBERT
THE DOCTORAL COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCE AND HEALTH
(ECOLE DOCTORALE DES SCIENCES DE LA VIE ET DE LA SANTE – ED62)
OF AIX MARSEILLE UNIVERSITY, FRANCE
JURY:
PR. JEAN ROUDIER (PRESIDENT)
PR. SÉLIM ARACTINGI (REVIEWER)
PR. JEAN-CHARLES GUÉRY (REVIEWER)
DR. NATHALIE C. LAMBERT (SUPERVISOR)
PR. PHILIPPE NAQUET (EXAMINATOR)
DR. CHRISTOPHE PICARD (EXAMINATOR)

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – 20TH OF DECEMBER 2013

SAMI-BARNA KANAAN
FACTEURS DE RISQUE LIES AU CHROMOSOME X A L’ORIGINE DE LA
PREDOMINANCE DES FEMMES DANS LA POLYARTHRITE RHUMATOÏDE

THESE SOUMISE A

L’ECOLE DOCTORALE DES SCIENCES DE LA VIE ET DE LA SANTE – ED62
D’AIX MARSEILLE UNIVERSITE, FRANCE
POUR L’OBTENTION DU DIPLOME DE
DOCTEUR D’AIX-MARSEILLE UNIVERSITE
DISCIPLINE : IMMUNOLOGIE
LABORATOIRE : INSERM UMRs1097 “GENES HLA-DR, AUTOANTICORPS ET
MICROCHIMERISME DANS LA POLYARTHRITE RHUMATOÏDE ET LA SCLERODERMIE”
DIRECTRICE DE THESE : DR. NATHALIE C. LAMBERT
JURY:
PR. JEAN ROUDIER (PRESIDENT)
PR. SÉLIM ARACTINGI (RAPPORTEUR)
PR. JEAN-CHARLES GUÉRY (RAPPORTEUR)
DR. NATHALIE C. LAMBERT (DIRECTRICE)
PR. PHILIPPE NAQUET (EXAMINATEUR)
DR. CHRISTOPHE PICARD (EXAMINATEUR)

SOUTENUE PUBLIQUEMENT LE 20 DECEMBRE 2013 – MARSEILLE, FRANCE

University Address:
Aix-Marseille Université
Ecole doctorale des sciences de la vie et de la santé –ED62
Faculté des Sciences de Luminy, case 901,
163 avenue de Luminy,
13288 MARSEILLE cedex 09
France
E-mail : [email protected]

Laboratory Address:
Laboratoire « Gènes HLA-DR, autoanticorps et microchimérisme dans la polyarthrite
rhumatoïde et la sclérodermie »
INSERM UMRs1097
Parc scientifique et technologique de Luminy, Case 939
163, avenue de Luminy
Bâtiment TPR2 Inserm - Entrée A, 1er étage
13288 Marseille cedex 09
France
E-mail : [email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all to my sweetheart Yousra who is always encouraging and supporting me in almost
everything I do. She is family, along with Hajnal and Imad (my mom and dad), Ayman and
Sanaa (my brother and sister) who I thank deeply, because without them, I would not have
been who I am and none of this work would have seen the light.
A ton of thanks to my Ph.D. supervisor Nathalie C. Lambert, always enthusiastic, always
motivating. I have learned so much in these four years (3 Ph.D. and 1 Masters). Thanks to her,
I have been to many places and scientific conferences in Europe. I have learned great lessons
not only in immunology, but also in real life. It is hard to find another awesome supervisor like
her. She inspires me to be just like her in the future!
Sincere thanks to Jean Roudier, head of our laboratory, who welcomed me among his team
and has been a constant source of help, advice and encouragements. I will never forget him
saying, on my first day: “a researcher who never sees the United States of America is like a
sailor who never sees the ocean”.
Many many thanks to the entire working group. They are not just my lab-mates, they are my
friends. Isabelle, for her availability, for her kindness, for her comments, all the time intelligent,
always turning my work for the better. She has read my thesis in about three hours. All of it.
Elisabeth for her management assistance, but mostly for her kindness. She has been the
French version of a mother to me. Nathalie Balandraud for her remarks and supporting of my
activities, also for recruitment of patients. Thanks to Marielle, Emmanuelle, Nicolas, Jean-
Marc, Doua (my live memory, when I was inattentive), Fanny, Karlin, for all the wonderful
interactions and for contributing to an excellent working environment. I need a few more
theses to write pages about them all.
Thanks to all the jury members for participating to my defense, and to the reviewers for
accepting to evaluate my work. It is a great honor to present them my thesis.
Thanks to the QKRAA association, the Group Francophone de la Recherche sur la
Sclérodermie (GFRS) and Fondation Arthritis Courtin for sponsoring me through my Ph.D.
Huge thanks to all my wonderful friends, old ones and new ones, for backing me up from day
one, for sharing with me good times and supporting me through hard times. Thanks to Ali,
Esber, Sarah, Wasim, Kifah, Abbas, Eleonore, Rabih, Hassan, Rana, Noura, and many,
many others… Thank you all.

DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this thesis to my future self.
Hopefully, one day, I will develop my career as a scientist in immunology (or perhaps genetics
of immunology), a field for which I have grown a passion over the last few years. This is due in
big part to the excellent academic atmosphere in the scientific park of Luminy, at the Aix-
Marseille University (France), and to the awesomeness of all the people that have had
outstanding influence on me during this journey (see acknowledgements).
This day, I will be sipping my coffee at my senior professor desk, and I will be thinking, as I
remember this dissertation: “thank you past self, high five!”