1. Fighting resistant bacteria and Global pandemics
Marc LECUIT, MD PhD
Biology of Infection Unit
Institut Pasteur
Paris, France
This is a great pleasure to be here, and Id like to thnak the ERC and Professor Eva Kondorosi for her kind invitation.
I am a clinician and scientist workinf in the field of Infectious diseases at Institut Pasteur and Necker Children’s hospital in Paris, France

2. Human therapies Traditional medicine Empirical Scientific medicine
Salix alba
Traditional medicine
Empirical
Scientific medicine
Mechanistic studies
→ Highly effective and selective therapies
Anticancer therapies
HIV, HCV
acetylsalicylic acid
Historically, human therapies have been developed form traditional medicine…

3. Human therapies Traditional medicine Empirical Scientific medicine
Salix alba
Traditional medicine
Empirical
Scientific medicine
Mechanistic studies
→ Highly effective and selective therapies
Anticancer therapies
HIV, HCV
acetylsalicylic acid

4. Antimicrobials Germ theory of diseases → concept of infection
“Bugs are bad”
Antimicrobials
Natural
Synthetic
As for antimicrobials,
ReAct Group 2015

5. Antibiotics are extremely efficient
Antibiotics target specifically bacterial products
e.g. peptidoglycan (cell wall: ß-lactams, glycopeptides)
openoregonstate.pressbooks.pub/microbiology

6. Antibiotics are extremely efficient
Growth complete inhibition

7. But do not target microbial pathogens specifically…
Impact on the microbiota
The complex bacterial communities that inhabit our gut
doi: /science.aaf5670

8. But do not target microbial pathogens specifically…
Impact on the microbiota
J Clin Invest. 2010;120(12):

9. But do not target microbial pathogens specifically…
Selection of resistant bacteria
Mutations
Transfer of resistance
ReAct Group 2015

10. A need for a strategic and tactical change
From weapons of mass destruction
Shutterstock

11. A need for a strategic and tactical change
From weapons of mass destruction
To precision weapon →
Tech-Connect

12. Develop highly selective and efficacious drugs
Kill specifically the pathogen
CRISPR-Cas
Antimicrobial peptides
Phages
What can we do?
CRISPR Cas: Gene editing

13. Develop highly selective and efficacious drugs
Block pathogenic mechanisms
Anti toxin
Block type III secretion systems

14. Develop highly selective and efficacious drugs
Host-directed therapy
Block pathogenic mechanisms
Anti toxin
Block type III secretion systems

15. Develop highly selective and efficacious drugs
Target antibiotic resistant bacteria
CRISPR-Cas
Bikard, Curr Opin Microbiol Jun;37:

16. A call for basic research
Basic microbiology
Host-pathogens interactions
Microbial pathogenesis
Host responses

17. A call for basic research in biology
Nature 517, 369–372
OrthoMaM

18. A call for basic research in biology
Nature 517, 369–372
OrthoMaM