Miriam Merad, MD, PhD

DIRECTOR, PRECISION IMMUNOLOGY INSTITUTE
PROFESSOR | Oncological Sciences
PROFESSOR | Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology
PROFESSOR | Dermatology

Research Topics:

Cancer, Chemokines, Dendritic Cells, Immunological Tolerance, Immunology, Lymphocytes, Macrophage, Microglia, Stem Cells, T Cells, Transplantation

Contact Information

Business Office

Business Office 1

Hess CSM Building Floor 5th Fl Room 118

1470 Madison Ave

New York, NY 10029

Tel: 212-824-8426

Biography

Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the Director of the Mount Sinai Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC).

Dr. Merad is an internationally acclaimed physician-scientist and a leader in the fields of dendritic cell and macrophage biology with a focus on their contribution to human diseases. Dr. Merad identified the tissue resident macrophage lineage and revealed its distinct role in organ physiology and pathophysiology. She established the contribution of this macrophage lineage to cancer progression and inflammatory diseases and is now working on the development of novel macrophage-targeted therapies for these conditions. In addition to her work on macrophages, Dr. Merad is known for her work on dendritic cells, a group of cells that control adaptive immunity. She identified a new subset of dendritic cells, which is now considered a key target of antiviral and antitumor immunity.

Dr. Merad leads the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine (PrIISM) to bring immunology discoveries to the clinic. PrIISM integrates immunological research programs with synergistic expertise in biology, medicine, technology, physics, mathematics and computational biology to enhance our understanding of human immunology. She also founded the Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mount Sinai, one of the world’s most sophisticated research centers, which uses cutting-edge single-cell technology to understand the contribution of immune cells to major human diseases or treatment responses.

Dr. Merad has authored more than 200 primary papers and reviews in high profile journals. Her work has been cited several thousand times. She receives generous funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her research on innate immunity and their contribution to human disease, and belongs to several NIH consortia. She is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the recipient of the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology. She is the President-elect of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). In 2020, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her contributions to the field of immunology.

Please visit Dr. Merad's Lab website: http://www.meradlab.org

Videos

Contribution of Tissue Resident Mononuclear Phagocytes to Homeostasis and Disease

Cancer Precision Medicine Retreat -- Session 2: Miriam Merad

Multi-Disciplinary Training Area

Immunology [IMM]

Education

MD, University of Algiers

Residency, University Paris VII (Interne des hopitaux de Paris)

MS (DEA), University Paris VII

PhD, Stanford University and University Paris VII

Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

Awards

2014
Endowed Professorship

Publications

Casanova-Acebes M, Dalla E, Leader AM, LeBerichel J, Nikolic J, Morales BM, Brown M, Chang C, Troncoso L, Chen ST, Sastre-Perona A, Park MD, Tabachnikova A, Dhainaut M, Hamon P, Maier B, Sawai CM, Agulló-Pascual E, Schober M, Brown BD, Reizis B, Marron T, Kenigsberg E, Moussion C, Benaroch P, Aguirre-Ghiso JA, Merad M. Tissue-resident macrophages provide a pro-tumorigenic niche to early NSCLC cells. Nature 2021 Jul; 595(7868).

Bogunovic D, Merad M. Children and SARS-CoV-2. Cell host & microbe 2021 07; 29(7).

Merad M, Martin JC. Pathological inflammation in patients with COVID-19: a key role for monocytes and macrophages. Nature Reviews Immunology 2020; 20: 355-362.

Bigenwald C, Le Berichel J, Wilk CM, Chakraborty R, Chen ST, Tabachnikova A, Mancusi R, Abhyankar H, Casanova-Acebes M, Laface I, Akturk G, Jobson J, Karoulia Z, Martin JC, Grout J, Rafiei A, Lin H, Manz MG, Baccarini A, Poulikakos PI, Brown BD, Gnjatic S, Lujambio A, McClain KL, Picarsic J, Allen CE, Merad M. BRAF-induced senescence drives Langerhans cell histiocytosis pathophysiology. Nature medicine 2021 05; 27(5).

Maier B, Leader AM, Chen ST, Tung N, Chang C, LeBerichel J, Chudnovskiy A, Maskey S, Walker L, Finnigan JP, Kirkling ME, Reizis B, Ghosh S, D'Amore NR, Bhardwaj N, Rothlin CV, Wolf A, Flores R, Marron T, Rahman AH, Kenigsberg E, Brown BD, Merad M. A conserved dendritic-cell regulatory program limits antitumour immunity. Nature 2020; 580: 257-262.

Casanova-Acebes M, Menéndez-Gutiérrez MP, Porcuna J, Álvarez-Errico D, Lavin Y, García A, Kobayashi S, LeBerichel J, Núñez V, Were F, Jiménez-Carretero D, Sánchez-Cabo F, Merad M, Ricote M. RXRs control serous macrophage neonatal expansion and identity and contribute to ovarian cancer progression. Nature Communications 2020; 11: 1655.

Martin JC, Chang C, Boschetti G, Ungaro R, Giri M, Grout JA, Gettler K, Chuang LS, Nayar S, Greenstein AJ, Dubinsky M, Walker L, Leader A, Fine JS, Whitehurst CE, Mbow ML, Kugathasan S, Denson LA, Hyams JS, Friedman JR, Desai PT, Ko HM, Laface I, Akturk G, Schadt EE, Salmon H, Gnjatic S, Rahman AH, Merad M, Cho JH, Kenigsberg E. Single-Cell Analysis of Crohn's Disease Lesions Identifies a Pathogenic Cellular Module Associated with Resistance to Anti-TNF Therapy. Cell 2019; 178.

Jordan S, Tung N, Casanova-Acebes M, Chang C, Cantoni C, Zhang D, Wirtz TH, Naik S, Rose SA, Brocker CN, Gainullina A, Hornburg D, Horng S, Maier BB, Cravedi P, LeRoith D, Gonzalez FJ, Meissner F, Ochando J, Rahman A, Chipuk JE, Artyomov MN, Frenette PS, Piccio L, Berres ML, Gallagher EJ, Merad M. Dietary Intake Regulates the Circulating Inflammatory Monocyte Pool. Cell 2019; 178: 1102-1114.e17.

Kana V, Desland FA, Casanova-Acebes M, Ayata P, Badimon A, Nabel E, Yamamuro K, Sneeboer M, Tan IL, Flanigan ME, Rose SA, Chang C, Leader A, Le Bourhis H, Sweet ES, Tung N, Wroblewska A, Lavin Y, See P, Baccarini A, Ginhoux F, Chitu V, Stanley ER, Russo SJ, Yue Z, Brown BD, Joyner AL, De Witte LD, Morishita H, Schaefer A, Merad M. CSF-1 controls cerebellar microglia and is required for motor function and social interaction. The Journal of experimental medicine 2019; 216: 2265-2281.

Salmon H, Remark R, Gnjatic S, Merad M. Host tissue determinants of tumour immunity. Nature reviews. Cancer 2019; 19: 215-227.

Lavin Y, Kobayashi S, Leader A, Amir ED, Elefant N, Bigenwald C, Remark R, Sweeney R, Becker CD, Levine JH, Meinhof K, Chow A, Kim-Shulze S, Wolf A, Medaglia C, Li H, Rytlewski JA, Emerson RO, Solovyov A, Greenbaum BD, Sanders C, Vignali M, Beasley MB, Flores R, Gnjatic S, Pe'er D, Rahman A, Amit I, Merad M. Innate Immune Landscape in Early Lung Adenocarcinoma by Paired Single-Cell Analyses. Cell 2017; 169: 750-765.e17.

Chudnovskiy A, Mortha A, Kana V, Kennard A, Ramirez JD, Rahman A, Remark R, Mogno I, Ng R, Gnjatic S, Amir ED, Solovyov A, Greenbaum B, Clemente J, Faith J, Belkaid Y, Grigg ME, Merad M. Host-Protozoan Interactions Protect from Mucosal Infections through Activation of the Inflammasome. Cell 2016; 167: 444-456.e14.

Salmon H, Idoyaga J, Rahman A, Leboeuf M, Remark R, Jordan S, Casanova-Acebes M, Khudoynazarova M, Agudo J, Tung N, Chakarov S, Rivera C, Hogstad B, Bosenberg M, Hashimoto D, Gnjatic S, Bhardwaj N, Palucka AK, Brown BD, Brody J, Ginhoux F, Merad M. Expansion and Activation of CD103(+) Dendritic Cell Progenitors at the Tumor Site Enhances Tumor Responses to Therapeutic PD-L1 and BRAF Inhibition. Immunity 2016; 44: 924-938.

Price JG, Idoyaga J, Merad M. Reply to: . Nature immunology 2016; 17: 345-346.

Lavin Y, Mortha A, Rahman A, Merad M. Regulation of macrophage development and function in peripheral tissues. Nature reviews. Immunology 2015; 15: 731-744.

Upadhyay R, Hammerich L, Peng P, Brown B, Merad M, Brody JD. Lymphoma: immune evasion strategies. Cancers 2015; 7: 736-62.

Price JG, Idoyaga J, Salmon H, Hogstad B, Bigarella CL, Ghaffari S, Leboeuf M, Merad M. CDKN1A regulates Langerhans cell survival and promotes Treg cell generation upon exposure to ionizing irradiation. Nature immunology 2015; 16: 1060-8.

Merad M, Salmon H. Cancer: A dendritic-cell brake on antitumour immunity. Nature 2015; 523: 294-5.

Hoeffel G, Chen J, Lavin Y, Low D, Almeida FF, See P, Beaudin AE, Lum J, Low I, Forsberg EC, Poidinger M, Zolezzi F, Larbi A, Ng LG, Chan JK, Greter M, Becher B, Samokhvalov IM, Merad M, Ginhoux F. C-Myb(+) erythro-myeloid progenitor-derived fetal monocytes give rise to adult tissue-resident macrophages. Immunity 2015; 42: 665-78.

Naik S, Bouladoux N, Linehan JL, Han SJ, Harrison OJ, Wilhelm C, Conlan S, Himmelfarb S, Byrd AL, Deming C, Quinones M, Brenchley JM, Kong HH, Tussiwand R, Murphy KM, Merad M, Segre JA, Belkaid Y. Commensal-dendritic-cell interaction specifies a unique protective skin immune signature. Nature 2015; 520: 104-8.

Berres ML, Merad M, Allen CE. Progress in understanding the pathogenesis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis: back to Histiocytosis X?. British journal of haematology 2015; 169: 3-13.

Remark R, Becker C, Gomez JE, Damotte D, Dieu-Nosjean MC, Sautès-Fridman C, Fridman WH, Powell CA, Altorki NK, Merad M, Gnjatic S. The non-small cell lung cancer immune contexture. A major determinant of tumor characteristics and patient outcome. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2015; 191: 377-90.

Berres ML, Lim KP, Peters T, Price J, Takizawa H, Salmon H, Idoyaga J, Ruzo A, Lupo PJ, Hicks MJ, Shih A, Simko SJ, Abhyankar H, Chakraborty R, Leboeuf M, Beltrão M, Lira SA, Heym KM, Clausen BE, Bigley V, Collin M, Manz MG, McClain K, Merad M, Allen CE. BRAF-V600E expression in precursor versus differentiated dendritic cells defines clinically distinct LCH risk groups. The Journal of experimental medicine 2015; 212: 281.

Zitvogel L, Galluzzi L, Viaud S, Vétizou M, Daillère R, Merad M, Kroemer G. Cancer and the gut microbiota: an unexpected link. Science translational medicine 2015; 7: 271ps1.

Lavin Y, Winter D, Blecher-Gonen R, David E, Keren-Shaul H, Merad M, Jung S, Amit I. Tissue-resident macrophage enhancer landscapes are shaped by the local microenvironment. Cell 2014; 159: 1312-26.

Mielcarek M, Kirkorian AY, Hackman RC, Price J, Storer BE, Wood BL, Leboeuf M, Bogunovic M, Storb R, Inamoto Y, Flowers ME, Martin PJ, Collin M, Merad M. Langerhans cell homeostasis and turnover after nonmyeloablative and myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Transplantation 2014; 98: 563-8.

Muller PA, Koscsó B, Rajani GM, Stevanovic K, Berres ML, Hashimoto D, Mortha A, Leboeuf M, Li XM, Mucida D, Stanley ER, Dahan S, Margolis KG, Gershon MD, Merad M, Bogunovic M. Crosstalk between muscularis macrophages and enteric neurons regulates gastrointestinal motility. Cell 2014; 158: 300-313.

Mortha A, Chudnovskiy A, Hashimoto D, Bogunovic M, Spencer SP, Belkaid Y, Merad M. Microbiota-dependent crosstalk between macrophages and ILC3 promotes intestinal homeostasis. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2014; 343.

Agudo J, Ruzo A, Tung N, Salmon H, Leboeuf M, Hashimoto D, Becker C, Garrett-Sinha LA, Baccarini A, Merad M, Brown BD. The miR-126-VEGFR2 axis controls the innate response to pathogen-associated nucleic acids. Nature immunology 2014; 15: 54-62.

Lavin Y, Merad M. Macrophages: gatekeepers of tissue integrity. Cancer immunology research 2013; 1: 201-9.

Hamard PJ, Barthelery N, Hogstad B, Mungamuri SK, Tonnessen CA, Carvajal LA, Senturk E, Gillespie V, Aaronson SA, Merad M, Manfredi JJ. The C terminus of p53 regulates gene expression by multiple mechanisms in a target- and tissue-specific manner in vivo. Genes & development 2013; 27: 1868-85.

Hashimoto D, Chow A, Noizat C, Teo P, Beasley MB, Leboeuf M, Becker CD, See P, Price J, Lucas D, Greter M, Mortha A, Boyer SW, Forsberg EC, Tanaka M, van Rooijen N, García-Sastre A, Stanley ER, Ginhoux F, Frenette PS, Merad M. Tissue-resident macrophages self-maintain locally throughout adult life with minimal contribution from circulating monocytes. Immunity 2013; 38: 792-804.

Chow A, Huggins M, Ahmed J, Hashimoto D, Lucas D, Kunisaki Y, Pinho S, Leboeuf M, Noizat C, van Rooijen N, Tanaka M, Zhao ZJ, Bergman A, Merad M, Frenette PS. CD169⁺ macrophages provide a niche promoting erythropoiesis under homeostasis and stress. Nature medicine 2013; 19: 429-36.

Berres ML, Allen CE, Merad M. Pathological consequence of misguided dendritic cell differentiation in histiocytic diseases. Advances in immunology 2013; 120: 127-61.

Greter M, Merad M. Regulation of microglia development and homeostasis. Glia 2013; 61: 121-7.

Greter M, Helft J, Chow A, Hashimoto D, Mortha A, Agudo-Cantero J, Bogunovic M, Gautier EL, Miller J, Leboeuf M, Lu G, Aloman C, Brown BD, Pollard JW, Xiong H, Randolph GJ, Chipuk JE, Frenette PS, Merad M. GM-CSF controls nonlymphoid tissue dendritic cell homeostasis but is dispensable for the differentiation of inflammatory dendritic cells. Immunity 2012; 36: 1031-46.

Bogunovic M, Mortha A, Muller PA, Merad M. Mononuclear phagocyte diversity in the intestine. Immunologic research 2012; 54: 37-49.

Ginhoux F, Ng LG, Merad M. Understanding the murine cutaneous dendritic cell network to improve intradermal vaccination strategies. Current topics in microbiology and immunology 2012; 351: 1-24.

Chow A, Brown BD, Merad M. Studying the mononuclear phagocyte system in the molecular age. Nature reviews. Immunology 2011; 11: 788-98.

Hashimoto D, Miller J, Merad M. Dendritic cell and macrophage heterogeneity in vivo. Immunity 2011; 35: 323-35.

Ginhoux F, Merad M. Microglia arise from extra-embryonic yolk sac primitive progenitors. Medecine sciences : M/S 2011; 27: 719-24.

Hashimoto D, Chow A, Greter M, Saenger Y, Kwan WH, Leboeuf M, Ginhoux F, Ochando JC, Kunisaki Y, van Rooijen N, Liu C, Teshima T, Heeger PS, Stanley ER, Frenette PS, Merad M. Pretransplant CSF-1 therapy expands recipient macrophages and ameliorates GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. The Journal of experimental medicine 2011; 208: 1069-82.

Hashimoto D, Merad M. Harnessing dendritic cells to improve allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation outcome. Seminars in immunology 2011; 23: 50-7.

Ginhoux F, Greter M, Leboeuf M, Nandi S, See P, Gokhan S, Mehler MF, Conway SJ, Ng LG, Stanley ER, Samokhvalov IM, Merad M. Fate mapping analysis reveals that adult microglia derive from primitive macrophages. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2010; 330: 841-5.

Ginhoux F, Merad M. Ontogeny and homeostasis of Langerhans cells. Immunology and cell biology 2010; 88: 287-92.

Helft J, Ginhoux F, Bogunovic M, Merad M. Origin and functional heterogeneity of non-lymphoid tissue dendritic cells in mice. Immunological reviews 2010; 234: 55-75.

Helft J, Merad M. Isolation of cutaneous dendritic cells. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 2010; 595: 231-3.

Ginhoux F, Liu K, Helft J, Bogunovic M, Greter M, Hashimoto D, Price J, Yin N, Bromberg J, Lira SA, Stanley ER, Nussenzweig M, Merad M. The origin and development of nonlymphoid tissue CD103+ DCs. The Journal of experimental medicine 2009; 206: 3115-30.

Bogunovic M, Ginhoux F, Helft J, Shang L, Hashimoto D, Greter M, Liu K, Jakubzick C, Ingersoll MA, Leboeuf M, Stanley ER, Nussenzweig M, Lira SA, Randolph GJ, Merad M. Origin of the lamina propria dendritic cell network. Immunity 2009; 31: 513-25.

Ginhoux F, Collin MP, Bogunovic M, Abel M, Leboeuf M, Helft J, Ochando J, Kissenpfennig A, Malissen B, Grisotto M, Snoeck H, Randolph G, Merad M. Blood-derived dermal langerin+ dendritic cells survey the skin in the steady state. The Journal of experimental medicine 2007; 204: 3133-46.

Collin MP, Bogunovic M, Merad M. DC homeostasis in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Cytotherapy 2007; 9: 521-31.

Bogunovic M, Ginhoux F, Wagers A, Loubeau M, Isola LM, Lubrano L, Najfeld V, Phelps RG, Grosskreutz C, Scigliano E, Frenette PS, Merad M. Identification of a radio-resistant and cycling dermal dendritic cell population in mice and men. The Journal of experimental medicine 2006; 203: 2627-38.

Industry Relationships

Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.

Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Merad during 2022 and/or 2023. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.

Equity (Stock or stock options valued at greater than 5% ownership of a publicly traded company or equity of any value in a privately held company)

Asher, Inc; Dren Bio; Morphic; myeloid therapeutics; nirogy; oncoresponse

Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.