From 2001 to 2005 I did my Ph.D in Montpellier (South of France) at the Institut of Functional Genomic. I worked on Drosophila melanogaster and I characterized a new G-Protein Coupled Receptor, only found in insects. I found both the ligand and the function of this orphan receptor we called “mange tout“.
In October 2005, I joined the Institut Pasteur for my first Postdoctoral training for working on another insect diptera, the mosquito species, Anopheles gambiae. This mosquito species is the main vector of the malaria parasite in Africa, where Plasmodium falciparum that is mainly found. Malaria is still responsible for the death of more than 600,000 people each year. From 2005 to 2008, I settled an automated culture system for producing P. falciparum gametocytes and initiated functional genomic studies to identify mosquito genes controlling the development of P. falciparum during its sporogonic cycle. In 2009, I started a second postdoc in the unit of Dr. Kenneth D. Vernick to work on Anopheles immunity. In 2011, I got a permanent position as a researcher at the Institut Pasteur and developed different project related to mosquito exposures and immunity to distinct microbes, and their influence on Anopheles vector competence for the malaria parasite Plasmodium. This cross-influence of microbial exposure on subsequent infection in insect is know as immune priming. For the microbial exposure, we used the entomopathogenic (kill insects) fungi and the Trypanosoma parasites, which are both present in area where malaria is endemic.
In February 2024, I joined the team of Anna-Bella Failloux as a group leader, where I develop 4 main research axis:
- Charaterize the molecular and cellular immune priming response in Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes, using different sources of pathogen as immune elicitors.
- Exploit knowledge from mosquito immune responses to investigate and develop translational tool(s) that aim to reduce pathogen transmission by mosquitoes.
- Characterize the functional role of genomic non-coding elements in the mosquito immune response.
- Study the dynamic circulation of Culex mosquitoes and Culex-borne arbovirosis (West-Nile and Usutu viruses) in the mediteranean bassin.
