Mpox (formely known as Monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the Mpox virus (MpoxV) transmitted mainly by the emission of respiratory droplets or direct contact with skin lesions of an infected person. The respiratory, nasal and pulmonary mucous membranes, and the skin are therefore critical anatomical sites in MpoxV infection because they are involved in its pathophysiology and its transmission. Better understanding the interactions between MpoxV and these tissues is a key element in the fight against viral dissemination not only in the organism but also between individuals.

The first objective of this project will be to evaluate the permissivity of the different cell types constituting the respiratory, nasal and pulmonary epithelia, and of the skin (keratinocytes, fibroblasts, reconstructed epidermis and skin explants) to MpoxV and to characterize the innate immune response induced.
The second objective will be to validate, from primary respiratory and/or skin cells identified as permissive, relevant in vitro models for the evaluation of new anti-MpoxV therapies. The antiviral activity of anti- MpoxV reference commercially available molecules but also of innovative compounds will thus be assessed on the in vitro models developed.
Overall, this project will thus allow (i) to better understand the pathogenesis of MpoxV at the sites of viral replication at the origin of transmission and (ii) to evaluate new antiviral molecules on preclinical models of infection that can lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting the respiratory tract and the skin.

This project will be realized at the “Laboratory Inflammation, Tissus Epithéliaux et Cytokines (LITEC)” of the University of Poitiers and carried out in collaboration with the “Centre d’Etude des Pathologies Respiratoires (CEPR)” of the University of Tours. The LITEC studies skin cell-pathogen interactions, in particular the innate immune reactions induced by viruses (Herpes simplex Virus, West Nile virus, Usutu virus, Mpox virus) as well as the mechanisms associated with viral dissemination and persistence in skin tissues.

The position is based in Poitiers for a period of 1 years. A contract extension of 1 additional year is possible on another project of the laboratory. The start date is expected to be January (application must be submitted before the end of November).