Symposium 'Meet the PhD Jury: Cross-kingdom intracellular interactions: Mechanistic insights and long-term consequences'

Dr. Virginie Stévenin’s research explores the dynamics of intracellular pathogens like bacteria and viruses, their survival strategies within host cells, and the resulting long-term effects on the host, such as cancer. In her presentation, she will discuss a novel molecular mechanism by which Salmonella manipulates the host cell's endocytic system, essential for its proliferation, revealed through high-resolution time-lapse microscopy.

The second part will delve into how some intracellular infections can promote tumor development. Collaborating with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment, she analyzed Salmonella strains from colon cancer patients and discovered that infection-driven metabolic changes in cells could lead to transformation and tumorigenesis. This finding provides new insights into how infections contribute to cancer development.