As a Project Leader, I am responsible for the team “Genome Editing Approaches to Treat Epidermolysis Bullosa” within the laboratory.
My work focuses on the development of clinically relevant genome editing strategies aimed at restoring the function of genes involved in rare and severe skin diseases, particularly epidermolysis bullosa. My expertise lies in the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technologies, Base Editors, and Prime Editors, with a strong focus on therapeutic applications.

My academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Structural and Molecular Biology, awarded in 2007 from the University Paris VII Denis Diderot (now University Paris-Cité). I then completed two postdoctoral fellowships at INSERM and Généthon, before being recruited in 2015 as a Research Engineer at INSERM. In 2024, I obtained my Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR) from University Paris-Cité, and was recently promoted to senior Research Engineer.

As part of an international collaborative project, I was a visiting researcher at the University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus in 2025, which strengthened my expertise in skin organoids and international scientific collaborations.

Since 2024, I have been an elected member of the Board of Directors of the French Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (SFTCG), actively contributing to the structuring and promotion of gene and cell therapy in France.

Team Members:

• Marie-Thérèse Daher, Postdoctoral Fellow, Imagine
• Marie Hautbois, PhD Student
• Louise Penez, Engineer

Recent Publications :

Highly Efficient Ex Vivo Correction of COL7A1 through Ribonucleoprotein-Based CRISPR/Cas9 and Homology-Directed Repair to Treat Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. Berthault C, Gaucher S, Gouin O, Schmitt A, Chen M, Woodley D, Titeux M, Hovnanian A, Izmiryan A. J Invest Dermatol. 2024 Jun;144(6):1322-1333.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.10.035. 

Generation and characterization of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from two patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis Bullosa. Vincent C, Lefort N, Hamlin M, Banal C, Hovnanian A, Izmiryan A. Stem Cell Res. 2023 Jun;69:103104. doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2023.103104. 
 

Ex Vivo COL7A1 Correction for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Using CRISPR/Cas9 and Homology-Directed Repair. Izmiryan A, Ganier C, Bovolenta M, Schmitt A, Mavilio F, Hovnanian A.Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2018 Sep 7;12:554-567. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.06.008.