Students

Jame Frénay graduated as a pharmacist (PharmD) from the University of Burgundy in 2021. He has been a member of the IMATHERa team since 2020, with whom he has worked on several projects as an intern and then on contract: study of a theranostic agent targeting the IL-1RAP protein in leukemia, study of a theranostic agent targeting the CD38 protein in myeloma and lymphoma, study of agents for guided surgery and photodynamic therapy.

Since January 2023, Jame Frénay has been working on a chemistry thesis (ICE grant – Itinéraire Chercheur Entrepreneur) within the IMATHERa team and the ICB laboratory (Institut Carnot de Bourgogne) on the imaging and monitoring of cell therapies (such as CAR-T cells) used in the treatment of leukemia. His work focuses on monitoring CAR-T cell therapies in solid tumor and leukemia models using medical imaging (PET/MRI and SPECT/CT). He is also working on optimizing the selection of T lymphocytes used in CAR-T therapy in order to increase its efficacy, notably via flow cytometry techniques.

Dr. Agnieszka Kownacka earned her Pharmacy degree from the University of Burgundy (UFR Sciences de Santé, 2017), specializing in Research and Industrial Pharmacy. She also completed a first-year Master’s program in Biology and Health, with academic training in cardiometabolic physiopathology and therapeutic research tools. Her journey with IMATHERA began in 2017 during a research internship, where she contributed to the development of imaging agents for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). She then obtained a Master of Science (MSc) in Molecular and Cellular Signaling from the University of Burgundy in 2017. As part of this program, she completed a six-month research internship at IMATHERA, during which she studied the biological effects of high- versus low-dose-rate radiotherapy in colorectal cancer models. In 2018, she joined Oncodesign Services as a Study Director in oncology and immunology. In this role, she was responsible for designing study protocols tailored to the expectations of pharmaceutical, biotech, and start-up clients. She supervised technical staff, managed the operational aspects of studies, and oversaw data analysis and reporting to provide clear, actionable results. She later advanced to lead the Preclinical In Vivo Unit (2020–2023) and subsequently the Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT) Unit (2023–2024), where she coordinated integrated radiotherapy studies and targeted therapy projects. Since February 2024, she has been pursuing a PhD at IMATHERA, focusing on molecular imaging and radiotherapy in HER-low breast cancer as part of the ANR-funded project EITHERBC.