The Institut Pasteur announces the creation of the Pasteur International Unit “Fungal Extracellular Vesicles”, in collaboration with the FioCruz – Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil) and the University of Birmingham (UK). The Pasteur International Joint Research Units are jointly created with two or more research teams, working together within the Pasteur Network.
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This international collaborative unit Fungal Extracellular Vesicles will bring together three scientific teams specializing in the study of extracellular vesicles produced by fungal pathogens. For at least 5 years, it will synergize the efforts of these three leading teams to understand the diversity, biosynthetic pathways and roles of these extracellular organelles during infection, with potential applications in the field of diagnosis of these infections, resistance to antifungal agents, and vaccinology. This unit will be coordinated by three internationally renowned scientists: Guilhem Janbon, Head of the ARN Biology of Fungal Pathogens Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, Marcio L. Rodrigues, Head of the Fungal Pathogens Group at the Carlos Chagas Institute, Fiocruz, Brazil and Robin C. May, Professor of Infectious Diseases & Gresham Professor of Physic, Institute of Microbiology & Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, UK.
Main objectives of the Fungal Extracellular Vesicles Unit, and research teams involved
Extracellular vesicles of Cryptococcus neoformans as observed by CryoEM. Copyright: G. Janbon/Institut Pasteur
The main objectives of the Pasteur International Joint Research Unit Fungal Extracellular Vesicles is to support the present common high quality research, to expand the fields of cooperation beyond those existing, especially in the study of the Extracellular Vesicles (EVs), combining unique tools and expertise in the three contributing centers in order to make major inroads into EV biology.
The main objectives of the Unit are:
- To study extracellular vesicles (EVs) structure and composition as well as the diversity of EVs produced by a single strain or by different fungal isolates,
- To describe the fungal EV biosynthetic pathways,
- Understand the role of EVs in host pathogen interaction and drug resistance.
The research teams that collaborate in the Unit are:
- The Mycology Pathogens unit at Institut Pasteur headed by Guilhem Janbon;
- The Biosciences team at University of Birmingham headed by May C. Robin;
- The Fungal Pathogens Group at the Carlos Chagas Institute of Fiocruz headed by Marcio L. Rodrigues.
The three scientific coordinators will jointly assume the scientific responsibility and the management of this international “Virtual” Unit.