By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaReviewed by Lexie CornerMay 1 2025In a recent Genomics Psychiatry interview for the Innovators & Ideas series, Dr. Jeremy Poschmann of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and Nantes University discusses his data-focused approach to unraveling disease risk.
By integrating multi-omics data and immune profiling, Dr. Poschmann explores how pre-existing immune conditions shape individual responses to pathogens.
He argues that understanding these immune landscapes through data-driven exploration, rather than starting with fixed hypotheses, can improve disease prediction and shift medicine toward prevention, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and easing the global disease burden.
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A path towards data-driven research
Dr. Poschmann didn’t always see himself in science. As a teenager, he was largely uninterested. But during nursing school, his curiosity grew, especially around the complexities of human biology. That spark eventually evolved into a passion for research.
While conducting chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments focused on RNA polymerase II in yeast, he discovered the power of data in unlocking biological puzzles. The emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS), which enables analysis of the entire human genome at a cellular level in a single experiment, highlighted just how much could be learned through computational biology. The depth and scale of insight that data analysis offered quickly became a driving force in his scientific journey.
One pivotal realization came during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poschmann noticed that while some individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 developed severe illness, others showed mild symptoms or remained asymptomatic. This wide spectrum of responses led him to focus on the immune system.
He hypothesized that pre-existing immune states might influence how each person responds to infection. Understanding these mechanisms, he believed, could explain disease variability and help predict individual risk. Thus, the immune system became the focal point of Dr. Poschmann‘s research.
Dr. Poschmann’s career has taken him across the globe. He worked as a registered nurse in Germany, studied in Belgium, earned his Ph.D. in Canada, and completed postdoctoral research in Singapore. He later worked in the UK before moving to France. These international experiences helped shape his collaborative mindset and strengthened his commitment to cross-disciplinary science.
During his postdoc, he noticed a recurring bottleneck in the research process: delays in bioinformatics analysis and a lack of focus on detail. Instead of relying on others, he taught himself to code and began analyzing data independently.
As a self-taught bioinformatician, he embraced an end-to-end approach—handling everything from experiments to data analysis and interpretation, all with an emphasis on unbiased, genome-wide inquiry.
Multi-omics and immune profiling: Letting the data lead
Dr. Poschmann integrates data from genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to build a comprehensive view of biological systems. Rather than beginning with rigid hypotheses, he lets the data guide the questions. This open-ended approach has led to insights that might otherwise be overlooked.
“It's the interplay between exploration and insight where the unexpected becomes visible. There is something uniquely exciting about being able to ask, "What is the system telling us?”, says Dr. Poschmann.
His work covers a range of conditions—from infectious diseases to psychiatric disorders—but a common thread is the immune system. He views it as a "living archive" of past exposures and events. Blood samples, being both accessible and information-rich, offer a dynamic window into infection history, disease susceptibility, and immune readiness.
Broader implications: From immunology to public health
The impact of Dr. Poschmann’s research extends well beyond immunology, with potential implications for psychiatric medicine, infectious disease management, and public health policy.
By enabling the large-scale measurement and analysis of immune memory, his work could transform how society approaches vaccination, personalized treatment, and early intervention in diseases driven by immune dysfunction.
In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Poschmann is a strong advocate for strengthening research infrastructure. He calls for more stable career pathways for postdoctoral researchers and technical staff, warning that scientific progress depends on sustained collaboration, something jeopardized by precarious employment conditions in European academia.
He argues that underfunding and structural instability are widening the gap between permanent and temporary positions, making it harder to retain talent. For long-term innovation, he stresses the importance of merit-based opportunities and trust in research teams.
Dr. Poschmann says, “My dream is that one day, the discoveries I help make will be directly relevant to real patients. Whether identifying molecular signatures, predicting treatment response, or uncovering new mechanisms, I want the science I do to inform care, not just ultimately understanding. That is the dream.”
Journal reference
Jeremie Poschmann: Data-driven discovery in human diseases through multi-omics profiling of the circulating immune system, News article, Genomic Psychiatry, 22-Apr-2025, DOI: 10.61373/gp025k.0023
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