A post-doctoral fellowship position (2 years) is available in the group of Jean-Louis Herrmann in the Inserm/UVSQ Team EPIM (UFR Sciences de la Santé Simone Veil, Montigny le Bretonneux)
Starting First semester 2022
Project: Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium increasingly acknowledged as a serious non-tuberculous mycobacterial pathogen. Recent studies indicate that complex lipids unique to M. abscessus can act as potent immuno-modulators, playing key roles in virulence and conditioning the outcome of the infection. M. abscessus, therefore, represents a biologically relevant species for the discovery of new lipids which, together with the elucidation of their biosynthetic/transport pathways, would further enlighten cell wall assembly and allow appreciation for how these unique lipids benefit mycobacteria to manipulate the host response. Our consortium, funded by the National Research Agency, is made of four specialized research partners in mycobacteriology, bacterial genetics, lipid biochemistry and cell biology. In strong partnership with these teams, the selected candidate will i) generate and study the phenotypes of lipid-defective M. abscessus mutant strains, ii) analyze the contribution of these lipids in M. abscessus virulence in macrophages and animal models (ZF and mice), iii) investigate the ability of the purified lipids to modulate the early host response.
Candidate: We are seeking a highly motivated and hard-working candidate with a strong background in mycobacterial genetics and/or in eukaryotic cells and animal manipulations who is interested in working in a dynamic group environment. We offer a rich multidisciplinary environment, as well as access to different experimental approaches through our labs and core facilities to ensure the successful development of the research.
