PhD, PharmD, MCU-PH

Associate Professor – Hospital Practitioner

Home institution: Université de Bourgogne Europe / UMR PAM (AFIM team)

Host institution: Laboratory Adhesion & Inflammation (LAI), Marseille

Mobility duration: 12 months

Research background

Since November 2015, I have been conducting my research under the supervision of Prof. Frédéric Dalle within the Food and Microbiological Processes Joint Research Unit (UMR PAM, under the joint authority of Institut Agro Dijon, Université de Bourgogne Europe, and INRAE, directed by Prof. Thomas Karbowiak).

I am part of the AFIM team (Food, Fermentation, Interactions, Microbiota), specifically within the “Microbiota Modulation and Health Impact” research focus.

My work adopts a transversal approach, combining microbiology, cellular biology, immunology, and experimental models, to decipher the interactions between the digestive mucosa and gut microorganisms (commensal, pathobiont, or pathogenic) that lead to the disruption of intestinal homeostasis and infection.

Current research project at LAI

Integrative biophysical and molecular approach to Cryptosporidium interactions with the intestinal mucus barrier within a One Health framework

Cryptosporidiosis, primarily caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis, poses a major public health challenge at the human-animal-environment interface. Lacking effective vaccines or treatments, identifying early infection mechanisms is a critical scientific bottleneck.

This project focuses on the intestinal mucus barrier, a viscoelastic gel rich in glycosylated mucins, and tests three core hypotheses:
(i) the mechanical and adhesive properties of parasite govern their transport and anchoring in mucus;
(ii) sporozoites exploit specific glycosylated motifs to cross this barrier;
and (iii) the parasite remodels mucus structure, rheology, and immune functions to promote infection.

Combining parasitology, quantitative imaging, and advanced biophysics (AFM, optical tweezers, micropipettes), this research aims to build multi-scale predictive models of mucus barrier crossing, applicable to environmental risk assessment and transferable to other enteric pathogens under a One Health perspective.