Unité de pathogénie
microbienne moléculaire
INSERM U786
Institut Pasteur
28, rue du Docteur Roux
75724 Paris Cedex 15
FRANCE
Tel. 33 1 40 61 30 95
fax 33 1 45 68 89 53
e-mail : secrétariat |
Researchers in the Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire, a component of Unité INSERM 786, are currently studying the invasion and inflammatory destruction of the intestinal barrier by the bacterial pathogen Shigella, the causative agent of Bacillary Dysentery,
a disease that causes about one million deaths in young children of the
most impoverished areas of the planet. A multidisciplinary approach is
applied to this topic through the integration of various disciplines
such as molecular genetics and genomics, cell biology, experimental
medicine and immunology. More recently we have tackled to study the
interactions established between the intestinal epithelium and its
commensal flora.
Beyond deciphering the molecular cross talks between the pathogen and
the intestinal epithelium that lead to its invasion, our work is also
at the heart of understanding the physiology of the intestinal barrier,
the rules of commensalism as well as the mechanisms that lead to
inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative
Colitis. It is also aimed at developing a vaccine against Bacillary
Dysentery. |
