Miriam Merad | |
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| Born | Paris, France |
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| Institutions | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
Miriam Merad (born 1969) [1] is an Algerian professor of cancer immunology. She serves as Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation, the Robin Chemers Neustein Professor of Immunology, and Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in New York, NY. She co-received the 2018 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology. [2] She belongs to the United States National Academy of Sciences. [3] and the National Academy of Medicine. [4]
Miriam Merad earned her M.D. from the medical school at the University of Algiers in 1985. She completed residency in hematology and oncology at Paris Diderot University. [5] She obtained a Master's degree in Biotechnology from Paris Diderot. She then moved to Stanford University and earned a PhD in the laboratory of Edgar Engleman. [6] Her clinical training in hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplantation at Hôpital Saint-Louis and Institut Gustave Roussy in Paris sparked her interest in immunotherapy.
Merad collaborated with Irving Weissman at Stanford. They revised understanding of macrophage and dendritic cell ontogeny. [7] ISMMS recruited her in 2004. She received an Endowed Chair in Cancer Immunology in 2014. [8] In 2016, ISMMS appointed her Director of the Immunology Institute. [9] In August 2023, she became founding Chair of the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy (DII) at ISMMS. The department focuses on immune system biology and its effects on health and disease. In April 2024, ISMMS named her Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation. [10]
Merad's early work identified mechanisms controlling development and identity of tissue-resident dendritic cells and macrophages. Her laboratory established the embryonic origin of tissue-resident macrophages, [11] microglia, [12] and Langerhans cells. [13] These cells contribute to synaptic pruning, gut peristalsis, fat metabolism, and vascular integrity. Her team identified tissue-resident CD103+ dendritic cells, which specialize in anti-viral and anti-tumor immunity.
Merad's group examines how myeloid cell subsets drive inflammatory diseases. In 2021, Bigenwald, et al., reported that mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway mutations trigger senescence in hematopoietic progenitors. This skews differentiation toward mononuclear phagocytes and causes multisystem Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. [14] In 2022, Chen, et al., and others reported that severe COVID-19 reduces tissue-resident lung alveolar macrophages, which aid repair, while increasing inflammatory monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. [15]
Merad's laboratory explores dendritic cells and macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. [1] Two macrophage lineages she defined appear in tumors. Their origins dictate roles in shaping the microenvironment. In human lung tumors, Casanova-Acebes, et al., reported in 2021 that tissue-resident macrophages cluster near early tumor cells. They increase invasiveness and activate regulatory T cells that shield tumors from immunity. [16] As tumors grow, tissue-resident macrophages shift to the periphery. Monocyte-derived macrophages then dominate.
In 2023, Park, et al., and others reported that TREM2 tumor macrophages suppress immunity. They limit natural killer cell recruitment and activity in lung adenocarcinoma models. [17] In 2020, Maier, et al., reported mature dendritic cells enriched in immunoregulatory molecules (mregDCs). These limit responses to immune checkpoint blockade. [18] In 2023, Magen, et al., and others reported niches where mregDCs operate in tumors. [19] In 2024, Park, et al., and others reported that aging shifts macrophages from protectors to disease drivers. They fuel cancer via immunosuppressive programs [20] and promote neurodegeneration via senescent monocytes. In 2025, Park, et al., reported strategies to reprogram aging-linked immune cells for healthier longevity. [21] Merad led a semi-finalist team in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition. [22] Merad co-founded the International Immunoschool in 2015 with researchers from Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and University of São Paulo in Brazil. [23] She published on cancer immunotherapy trials, [24] Long COVID classification, [25] immigrants' role in U.S. science, [26] and experiences as a mother scientist. [27]
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