VN2M Team

Dr. Eric Durand

I'm a molecular microbiologist, using different approaches including structural biology to study the intimacy of bacterial virulence factors and their implication in human health.

I have been working for 20 years in the field of bacterial secretion systems. I love to decipher their molecular architecture, how all the pieces are put together to make these beautiful nanomachines work efficiently. My ultimate goal is to transform the molecular knowledge derived from our research to find ways to block these virulence factors by developing "grains of sand" to block the nanomachine engine. Theses molecules or peptides are promising therapeutic options to fight bacterial infections in the context of antibiotic resistance.

Team Leader

CRCN INSERM

06.01.27.71.18

eric.durand@inserm.fr

edurand@imm.cnrs.fr

Mélanie Le Goff

I am interested in understanding bacterial pathogenesis. I started my journey in the microbiology world in Paris, during my master’s degree where I discovered the challenge of working with mycobacteria. I gained more experience with those bacteria in Amsterdam. Since 2019, I am involved in the project T6MeD-OC, focusing on Type VI secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, my new playfellow. If you can’t find me in the BSL-2 lab, I am probably in the office, eating a biscuit or two…

Microbiology Engineer

mlegoff@imm.cnrs.fr

Thibault Bongiovanni

Hi, I'm Thibault, PhD student working on the Bacteroides fragilis T6SS membrane complex.

I studied structural biology for my master degree where I was introduced to the T6SS world. I'm super curious about everything and passionate about biological techniques. I see machines as toys and for me the delivery man is Santa. I'm from Marseille but it's really hard to ear it or see it. Ona is convinced that we're twins, who's gonna tell her ?

PHD Student

tbongiovanni@imm.cnrs.fr

Ona Kandolo

I started to discover the world of science while traveling! After two experiences in Spain and Italy (Erasmus and Erasmus Internship) I decided to start a Master in Structural Biology in Montpellier. During my two internships at the CBS (Center of Structural Biochemistry), I worked on the structure - function of different bacterial kinases in order to design specific inhibitors. I then decided to move to Marseille and start my PhD thesis in Eric Durand's team. The idea of studying the structure of a nanomachine as complex as T6SS immediately appealed to me. What is even more captivating is to study the T6SS of pathogenic organisms and try to understand its implication in virulence.

It's very stimulating to see that every day we make new discoveries that allow me to complete my journey in the world of research!

PHD Student

okandolo@imm.cnrs.fr