Francis Repoila obtained his PhD in molecular genetics from the Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse, France; 1995). He completed a short postdoctoral training period at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore, USA; 1996/97), and was then employed as a research associate at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA; 1998/2001). He was recruited as a research associate at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), where he developed his research in various units: Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, (Toulouse, France; 2002/04); Institut Pasteur, (Paris, France; 2005/06); Institut Micalis (since 2007).
As scientist he has focused on the foundations of bacterial adaptation, i.e., the study of RNA metabolism regulation for abour 25 years. He is also interested on bacteriophages. He worked on phage evolution during his thesis, and He is currently working on their use to prevent or fight infections, as an alternative to antibiotics. Highlights of his scientific career include the discovery of the first small regulatory RNAs in various bacterial species (E. coli, L. monocytogenes and E. faecalis), the simultaneous visualization of bacterial RNA synthesis and degradation on a genome-wide scale, the demonstration of modular evolution in T-even phages, and the discovery of the first virulent phages in a newly discovered pathogenic species of Enterococci.
Google Scholar index: H index: 22 ; i10 index: 26 ; Citations : 4024 (Septembre 2024)
