Main positions :
- Engineer of agronomy (Denmark, 1989)
- PhD, Pasteur Institute/Université Paris 6, entomology-microbiology (1990-1994).
- Research scientist at Pasteur Institute, Paris (1995-2006)
- Research Director (DR2) at INRAE (since 2007- )
- Co-leader of GME-team from 2009 with Didier Lereclus and with Leyla Slamti since 2022
Main areas of research :
At Pasteur Institute : mode of action and mechanisms of resistance (toxin- gut receptors interactions) of bacterial toxins from Bacillus sphaericus used for bio-control of mosquito larvae.
At INRAE, Micalis Institute my research is focusing on the identification and function of virulence and adaptation factors of Bacillus cereus (Bc) and Bacilllus thuringiensis (Bt) (bio-insecticide) in insects.
Actual major objectives/activities:
- Understanding of pathogenesis of Bc & Bt in the insect model Galleria mellonella, with focus on expression and roles of factors interacting with the host by desiccating the mechanisms (histology/ molecular approaches) involved in the pathogen-host interplay particularly factors acting in the gut, with and without microbiota, with focus on genes involved in Iron homeostasis. See notably paper DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1959790, doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003935.
- Recently, I moved my interest to a new applied aspect of “Insect-pathogen interactions” related to the field of “insects as food and feed”. My focus concerns “insect health in mass reared insect”, addressed, notably via the participation in the H2020 ITN I(2019-2024) Insect Doctors Project (https://www.insectdoctors.eu/en/insectdoctors.htm) on Role of gut microbiota and feed in insect resistance to pathogens ((doi: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1260333). DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2024.1334526. But also questions related to microbial risk and contamination of insect based products has been undertaking (doi: 10.3390/insects13050458) via collaboration with the YNSECT company and recently funding from (https://eng-better.hub.inrae.fr/themes/feeding-ourselves-with-and-through-the-city/fly4waste-exploratory-project-2022).
- I am responsible, along with TR C. Buisson, for the rearing of Galleria mellonella; we propose collaborations on other pathogens and screening of antimicrobials with the larvae. We sell the larvae to several research teams in Paris region.
- I am member of the international “Society for Invertebrate pathology (SIP)” of which I co-organized the annual conference held in Tours in 2016 and was president during (2020-2022)https://www.siponline.org/sip-officers and still on Council.
