PARTNER N°

17

NAME OF INSTITUTION

AMU

 

 

 

The virology research team is involved in ZIKV enzyme/protein characterization, in relation to antiviral design and validation, and interactomics. The main commitment is into WP3, and its communication/collaboration/dissemination with WP2, 6, and 7.

Aix-Marseille University has nearly 74,000 students including 10,000 international students, 7,680 faculty and staff members, 12 doctoral schools and nearly 3,650 PhD students. Aix-Marseille University is home to 132 research facilities – 118 research units and 14 federative research structures – linked to France’s biggest research institutions (CNRS, INSERM, IRD, INRA, CEA).

Today, as well as being one of the youngest universities in France, it is also the largest in terms of its student body, its faculty and staff, and its budget in the whole of the French-speaking world.

The Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB) laboratory, overseen by the CNRS and AMU, is a center of structural biology localized on the Luminy campus in the scenic Calanques National Park,  south-east of Marseilles, France”. The aim of our research is to depict the architecture of proteins or macromolecular assemblies at the molecular level to understand the biological mechanisms which they govern. The description of interactions between macromolecules or a macromolecule and a ligand is also crucial to manipulate these complex molecules. Finally, to understand the molecular diversity of members of some protein families, we also analyze the big data issued from large-scale genome sequencing centers.

 

KEY CONTACT PERSON(S)

Key scientific contact person 1 (Team leader)

Name

Bruno Canard

Photo

 

Position in the Institution

Leader of the team “Viral Enzymes: Structure and mechanism”

Email address

Bruno.Canard@afmb.univ-mrs.fr

Phone number

 

+33 (0)4 91 82 86 46

Postal address

 

AFMB Polytech Case 925

Campus de Luminy

163 Avenue de Luminy

13288 Marseille CEDEX 09

 

Postal address

 

AFMB Polytech Case 925

Campus de Luminy

163 Avenue de Luminy

13288 Marseille CEDEX 09

 

Role in the Consortium

WP2 = 2.5p/m   - WP 3 = 40.5p/m -  WP6 = 2.5 p/m  -  WP7 = 6pm WP:

WP3

3.1 :Mechanism of infection

3.1.2 : replication cycle. Assay polymerase and RNA capping enzymes as needed.

3.1.3 : Neuropathogenesis : Interactomics with NS3 and possible role in neurovirulence.

3.3 : Tool box fox ZIKV enzymes

3.3.2 : Specific ZIKV reagents

3.3.3 : Camelid antibodies

3.4 : Antivirals

3.4.2 : limited specific organic chemical synthesis

3.4.3 : Crystallographic studies of compounds and target

 

 

He will coordinate the different tasks and subtasks performed in WP3, as well as commuicate and collaborate with other WPs (WP2, 6, and 7)