Maroua Ferhat, phd is an accomplished immunologist and cellular biologist specializing in inflammation and immune-mediated diseases. Her career spans both academic research and industry leadership, with a strong focus on understanding immune system dynamics in various diseases.
Maroua earned her PhD in Immunology from the University of Poitiers (France), where she uncovered IL-33's critical role in innate immune cell activation during kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury and transplantation. Her doctoral research established foundational insights into alarmin-mediated inflammation in renal pathology and sterile inflammation. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, USA) and later at the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France), Maroua broadened her expertise in metabolic disorders and metabolic immunology. At Utah, she focused on adipose tissue biology in insulin-resistance, while in Nancy, she investigated the metabolic activation of innate immune cells and immune-mediated diseases.
In 2021, Maroua joined OncoOne GmbH (Vienna, Austria) as an R&D Scientist, and was promoted to Senior Scientist in March 2023. There she plays a pivotal role in elucidating HOCl-mediated MIF oxidation by neutrophil-derived myeloperoxidase, which enabled the selective targeting of pathogenic oxMIF (oxidized macrophage migration inhibitory factor). Additionally, she has investigated the role of oxMIF in inflammatory conditions, leading preclinical studies on the novel anti-oxMIF antibody, ON104. her findings were presented at major conferences, including the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) annual meeting, and Festival of Biologics, where she highlighted ON104's efficacy in various preclinical models.
Currently, at Biolution, Maroua assists clients in developing, refining, and submitting research proposals and grant applications.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– attributed to Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher and the founder of Taoism