Robert Ballotti

Robert Ballotti

Researcher

Robert Ballotti is a Research Director at the Mediterranean Center for Molecular Medicine (C3M), part of Université Côte d’Azur. He co-leads a research team with Corine Bertolotto, focusing on ocular and cutaneous melanomas. A pioneer in identifying key genes involved in melanoma oncogenesis, Robert Ballotti currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the LABEX Signalife program.

Short Bio

Over the past 20 years, Robert Robert Ballotti has focused his research on the molecular mechanisms regulating the growth and differentiation of melanocytes, as well as the dysregulation of these processes in melanoma development. He was the first to describe the role of BRAF in melanocytes and melanomas. Robert Ballotti has contributed extensively to the study of MITF, a transcription factor that plays a central role in melanocyte and melanoma biology.

Since 2008, Robert Ballotti has led an INSERM research team at the C3M in Nice, France. In 2011, he was involved in the discovery of a germline MITF mutation predisposing carriers to melanoma and kidney cancer, a finding published in Nature. He has demonstrated the role of MITF in the transition between melanoma-initiating cells and their more differentiated, less tumorigenic progeny. The poorly differentiated cell population exhibits an enhanced mesenchymal phenotype and shows resistance to both targeted therapies and immunotherapy.

Robert Ballotti has also been actively involved in developing translational research programs aimed at providing rational alternative treatments for patients with limited therapeutic options. Several of these studies have been published in high-impact journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Most recently, he described the link between cell metabolism, epigenetic landscape, and the acquisition of resistance to targeted therapies.

Career path

  • Postdoctoral Fellow (ARC) (1987–1988) at INSERM (U145)
  • Research Scientist (1989–1993) at INSERM (U145)
  • Group Leader (1994–1996) at INSERM (U385)
  • Senior Research Scientist (1996–2002) at INSERM (U385)
  • Unit Director – Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes. From Skin Pigmentation to Melanoma (2004–2007) at INSERM (U597)
  • Team Leader (2008–2012), Team 1, at INSERM (U895)
  • Team Leader (2012–2017), Team 1, at INSERM (U1065)
  • Co-Team Leader (2018–today), INSERM (U1065)

Education

  • PhD in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (1987) at University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice
  • Accreditation to Supervise Research (HDR) (1992) at University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice

Publications

Publications: 171
Citations: 11,964 by 8,787 publications
h-index: 58
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7322-4908

  • El-Hachem N, Habel N, Naiken T, Bzioueche H, Cheli Y, Beranger GE, Jaune E, Rouaud F, Nottet N, Reinier F, Gaudel C, Colosetti P, Bertolotto C, Ballotti R. Uncovering and deciphering the pro-invasive role of HACE1 in melanoma cells. Cell Death Differ. 2018;25(11):2010–22. doi: 10.1038/s41418-018-0090-y
  • Montaudié H, Cerezo M, Bahadoran P, Roger C, Passeron T, Machet L, Arnault J-P, Verneuil L, Maubec E, Aubin F, Granel F, Giacchero D, Hofman V, Lacour J-P, Maryline A, Ballotti R, Rocchi S. Metformin monotherapy in melanoma: a pilot, open-label, prospective, and multicentric study indicates no benefit. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2017;30(3):378–80. doi: 10.1111/pcmr.12576
  • Bonet C, Luciani F, Ottavi J-F, Leclerc J, Jouenne F-M, Boncompagni M, Bille K, Hofman V, Bossis G, Marco de Donatis G, Strub T, Cheli Y, Ohanna M, Luciano F, Marchetti S, Rocchi S, Birling M-C, Avril M-F, Poulalhon N, Luc T, Hofman P, Lacour J-P, Davidson I, Bressac-de Paillerets B, Ballotti R, Marine J-C, Bertolotto C. Deciphering the Role of Oncogenic MITFE318K in Senescence Delay and Melanoma Progression. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2017 01;109(8). doi: 10.1093/jnci/djw340
  • Cerezo M, Lehraiki A, Millet A, Rouaud F, Plaisant M, Jaune E, Botton T, Ronco C, Abbe P, Amdouni H, Passeron T, Hofman V, Mograbi B, Dabert-Gay A-S, Debayle D, Alcor D, Rabhi N, Annicotte J-S, Héliot L, Gonzalez-Pisfil M, Robert C, Moréra S, Vigouroux A, Gual P, Ali MMU, Bertolotto C, Hofman P, Ballotti R, Benhida R, Rocchi S. Compounds Triggering ER Stress Exert Anti-Melanoma Effects and Overcome BRAF Inhibitor Resistance. Cancer Cell. 2016 13;29(6):805–19. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2016.04.013
  • Bertolotto C, Lesueur F, Giuliano S, Strub T, De Lichy M, Bille K, Dessen P, de la Fouchardière A, Molinié V, d’Hayer B, Mohamdi H, Remenieras A, Maubec E, Vabres P, Dalle S, Poulalhon N, Martin-Denavit T, Thomas L, Andry-Benzaquen P, Dupin N, Boitier F, Rossi A, Perrot JL, Labeille B, Robert C, Escudier B, Caron O, Brugières L, Saule S, Gardie B, Gad S, Richard S, Couturier J, Teh B, Ghiorzo P, Pastorino L, Puig S, Bacedas C, Olsson H, Ingvar C, Rouleau E, Lidereau R, Bahadoran P, Vielh P, Zelenika D, Galan P, The French melanoma study group, Chaudru V, Lenoir GM, Lathrop M, Davidson I, Avril MF, Demenais F, Ballotti R, Bressac-de Paillerets B. Defective sumoylation MITF mutant predisposes to melanoma and renal cancers. 2011, Nature, 480:94-98. doi: 10.1038/nature10539

Publication list