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Immunity and Transmission Laboratory (LIT)

Laboratoire Immunité et Transmission (LIT)

Led: Roger Le Grand

Published on 4 September 2018

The research programs of the laboratory "Immunity and Transmission" (LIT) of the Department IDMIT on the site of CEA-FAR/I. JACOB, concern the study of interactions/relationships between  host and infectious pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites...).

Historically, our activities included the study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, since 2006, we have progressively extended our research programs to other human viruses and/or emerging diseases, such as Chikungunya, influenza, yellow fever, dengue, Zika virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We also study bacterial infectious diseases: B. Pertussis, Clamydia Trachomatis and have as a project to work soon on B. Anthracis and the multiresistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Malaria (P. falciparum) is under development within IDMIT. We also participate in the European EBOVAC program in which we develop the NHP model for several vaccine candidates against Ebola virus.

Our teams have over 15 years-experience in developing models of infection involving Non-Human Primates. This expertise enables pre-clinical studies to test/validate the efficacy and safety of new prophylactic (vaccines), therapeutic (antibodies...), or protective (microbicides...) compounds/molecules against infectious diseases that affect humans. These studies are carried out under conditions of containment of levels 2, 3 and 3 + (aerosol).

In addition, the presence of research teams on the campus of the hospital of Bicêtre (see above), allows access to human clinical biological samples, a situation favorable to accelerate the transfer of vaccines or innovative therapeutic strategies in the clinical phase.