David Bikard, Ph.D., head of the synthetic biology group, Institut Pasteur, Paris

Talk Abstract: 

The study of bacterial immunity has revealed fascinating molecular mechanisms—including CRISPR-Cas and Restriction Modification systems—which scientists have transformed into powerful molecular tools. Our laboratory investigates both the fundamental aspects of bacteria-phage interactions and develops novel technologies to study and control bacteria.

In our fundamental research, we discovered that temperate bacteriophages and their parasites (phage satellites) harbor hotspots of anti-phage defense systems. This finding has contributed to a paradigm shift in our understanding of bacterial immunity, revealing that anti-phage systems serve as tools in the competition between mobile elements, rather than merely as weapons in a bacteria-phage arms race. We have characterized one such system in detail: PARIS (Phage Anti-Restriction Induced System), which functions as an anti-anti-defense system by detecting proteins that phages deploy to counter immune systems.

In our applied research, we have created new CRISPR tools to edit bacterial genomes, regulate gene expression, and selectively eliminate target bacteria. We have developed high-throughput CRISPR screening methods and used them to gain novel insights into E. coli genetics. We are currently extending these techniques to study bacterial genetics in the gut microbiome. Additionally, in collaboration with Eligo Bioscience, we are developing innovative phage-based DNA delivery methods to perform genetic modifications directly in the gut environment.

Bio: David Bikard is the head of the Synthetic Biology group at Institut Pasteur in Paris. He obtained an engineer degree from AgroParisTech and a PhD from Paris Diderot University for his work performed at the Institut Pasteur on the integron bacterial recombination system. He then joined the laboratory of Luciano Marraffini at the Rockefeller University as a postdoctoral fellow where he started to work on CRISPR systems. In 2014 David returned to France to start his academic group at Institut Pasteur where his work focuses on the genetic innovation that emerges as a result of the arms race between bacteria and bacteriophages. In parallel, David co-founded Eligo Bioscience, a biotech that focuses on the development of CRISPR-based therapeutics targeting the microbiome. David is the recipient of several prestigious grants and awards including 2 ERC grants, the EMBO young investigator award and the Pasteur Vallery-Radot award.