Pasteurian delegation travels to San Francisco to launch UCSF-QBI partnership and conduct scientific outreach

On February 28, the Pasteurian team, their QBI counterparts, and an audience of approximately 150 interested parties of mostly scientific affiliation, were welcomed to the Emerging Infectious Diseases Symposium by UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood and Mireille Guyader, Counselor for Science and Technology, at the Embassy of France in the United States.
 
This UCSF-based scientific symposium jointly led by the Institut Pasteur and UCSF-QBI took place in the Byers Auditorium at UCSF's Genentech Hall on the Mission Bay campus. 

In the presence of François Romaneix, Senior Executive Vice President of the Institut Pasteur, and Christophe D’Enfert, Senior Executive Scientific Vice President of the Institut Pasteur, who gave opening remarks, Pasteurian and QBI researchers shared their most recent research on infectious diseases, a strategic axis of the partnership.

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur presented the following work from their labs: 

• Olivier Schwartz, Head of the Virus and Immunity Unit, presented the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron multiplication and escape of the host immune response, with a focus on the recently circulating Omicron subvariants and their resistance to neutralizing antibodies.  
• Melanie Hamon, Head of the Chromatin and Infection Unit ,presented host pathogen interactions, and specifically how bacteria modify host genome architecture through chromatin modifications, a process that is important both during virulent infection and during homeostatic interactions.  
• Gerald Spaeth, Director of the Parasites and Insect Vectors Department and Head of the Molecular Parasitology and Signaling Unit, presented work on the neglected, protozoan parasite Leishmania. He reminded the audience that neglected parasitic diseases will be emerging in the future in the US and the EU due to climate change and population displacement. He laid out a strategic plan for collaboration between QBI and both his unit and his department.  
• Caroline Demangel, Head of the Immunobiology and Therapy Unit, whose specialties include immunomodulation by mycobacteria, presented a research project on a mycobacterial toxin that could lead to the identification of new anti-viral agents. This project benefited from collaboration with researchers from UCSF. 
   

Scientists from the UCSF-QBI community presented the following work: 

• Shaeri Mukherjee presented data on a Legionella pneumophila effector protein that functions as a unique tRNA mimic and blocks protein synthesis with similar potency as ricin, one of the most powerful toxins known. She highlighted the usefulness of pathogens being repurposed as cell biology tools.  
• Kliment Verba presented a cryo-EM structure of CoV-2 Nsp2 protein and how structural, evolutionary and mass spec analysis shed light on the function of this critical yet understudied viral protein.  
• Melanie Ott presented a new cloning method (pGLUE) to rapidly assemble full-length SARS-CoV-2 genomes and replicons. Using this method, the Ott Lab mapped Omicron (BA.1) attenuation to mutations in NSP6 and showed that Omicron NSP6 cannot efficiently mobilize lipid droplets to fuel viral RNA replication.
   

The trip concluded on a high note with a well-attended reception at the Residence de France in San Francisco, hosted by Frederic Jung, the Consul General of France in San Francisco. Through a series of speeches and scientific presentations, and with the support of a panel of experts from both institutes, this event provided an opportunity to share a vision of the center of excellence with a larger audience.  

Christophe D’Enfert, the Senior Executive Scientific Vice President of the Institut Pasteur, restated the institute’s conviction in the public health and institutional benefits of moving forward with this joint scientific undertaking in the United States. “The fight against infectious diseases requires international collaboration which is a founding tenant of the Institut Pasteur, a key component of its historic success and impact. Secondly, the Institut Pasteur - UCSF-QBI collaboration has already proven to be fruitful over the past years, and through the COVID-19 pandemic. We can take the next step together with great confidence. Finally, opening a center for emerging infectious diseases in the Bay area, a hotbed for artificial intelligence, will optimize opportunities for integrating these technologies into the surveillance and study of emerging pathogens. This will improve our chances to fight these pathogens and limiting their impact on our lives and the economy.” 

“What we (at UCSF) can bring in technological advances and in harnessing Silicon Valley and what the Institut Pasteur can bring from their amazing deep bench in microbiology and other aspects of immunology is very exciting. This is a case where truly one plus one equals five,” said Sam Hawgood, the Chancellor of UCSF to explain the initiative’s unique synergy. He also noted the “ground-up enthusiasm of people working together,” as a key to the continuing success of the collaboration. 

Frederic Jung, the Consul General of France in San Francisco, noted the aptness of the Institut Pasteur’s presence in San Franciso and broader alliances that could ensue. "It’s logical that the Institut Pasteur – with its very large international network and extremely strong expertise -- should come and set up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where there is expertise from major universities such as UCSF. With QBI as a partner, there is a huge amount of synergy to be created.”  

This event provided an opportunity to raise the profile of this collaboration and engage with strategic partners. The Institut Pasteur plans to secure support within 12 months to launch a center of excellence on the UCSF campus.