Each year, the Fondation de France awards medical research prizes. In 2022, 17 researchers receive prizes for their research projects in various fields.

Jacques Monod Foundation Prize

In the field of "Infectious Diseases", the Jacques Monod Foundation Prize is awarded to one or two young researchers who have undertaken work on the molecular aspects of cell regulation. This prize pays tribute to the great researcher, Nobel Prize in Medicine 1965, echoing the importance that Jacques Monod attached to the work of his students.

This year, Abdelrahim Zoued, researcher at CIRI, is co-winner with Pierre Garcia, from the Institut Pasteur. This award encourages his research on the host-pathogen interface during infection.

Abdelrahim Zoued's research project

Abdelrahim Zoued joined CIRI on February 1st, 2023 as a CNRS researcher, in the LegioPath team alongside Patricia Doublet.

He is interested in the Legionella pneumophila bacterium after having conducted work on cholera. The approaches and concepts are similar, but the aim is to apply them to a new organ and a new pathogen. Both the subject of Legionella pneumophila and the theme of host-pathogen interaction are dealt with by several CIRI teams, thus providing a favourable working environment.

Legionella pneumophila is a pathogenic bacterium infecting macrophages. After infection, the bacterium causes cell lysis. While this mechanism is now well documented, little is known about the mechanisms involved after macrophage lysis. Abdelrahim ZOUED's project therefore focuses on the study of these "post-lysis" mechanisms and the search for a new host protein capable of recognizing a particular pathogen.

Briefly

2011-2015: Thesis at the University of Aix-Marseille (Dr. Eric Cascales' team)

2016-2021: Post-doctorate at Harvard Medical School (Team of Pr. Matthew Waldor)

2022: Post-doctoral fellow at CIRI (Pr. Patricia Doublet's team)

2023: CNRS research at CIRI