Could you tell us more about the subject that fascinated you during the 3 years you spent at RD&I Lesaffre’s MicrOrganismS Center of Excellence?
I worked on the intestinal microbiota of patients suffering from chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These diseases are a major public health problem, with a strong impact on patients’ quality of life, but are currently incurable: patients alternate between phases of acute inflammatory flare-ups and remission. Changes in the composition and functionality of the intestinal microbiota are often associated with these pathologies. While the administration of certain strains of bifidobacteria has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the symptoms of these patients, the diversity of bifidobacteria naturally present in these patients remains poorly described. I therefore set out to analyze the taxonomic, phenotypic and genetic diversity of bifidobacteria isolated from IBD patients in both active (inflammatory flare-up) and inactive phases. A study of their probiotic potential completed this analysis.
This CIFRE thesis enabled me to achieve a real balance between fundamental research, through detailed characterization of the intestinal microbiota of IBD patients, and applied research, through the identification of strains with probiotic potential. On the fundamental side, I was particularly fortunate to work with Prof. Pierre Desrumeaux, a renowned gastroenterologist, who has an in-depth knowledge of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This alliance between basic and applied research was very enriching and meaningful.
What did your research actually involve?
This involved isolating bifidobacteria from the faeces of over 100 patients to build up a collection which was then characterized taxonomically, genomically and functionally. Links were then established between the origin of the strains, their identification and their functionalities with regard to the different pathologies, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, but also the different phases of these diseases.
How were you supported at Lesaffre throughout your doctorate?
I benefited from the support of LIST teams specializing in bioinformatics, nutrition & health and analytics, which greatly enhanced the quality of this project. My thesis supervisors, Céline Monnet, Research Director at the Lesaffre Institute of Science & Technology (LIST) and Benoît Foligné, Professor at Infinite (U1286, Université de Lille), were also invaluable. And then, on the Lesaffre Campus, we have remarkable cutting-edge equipment, including high-throughput screening robots, without which we wouldn’t have been able to characterize all the strains isolated.
And your best memory? Your latest success?
There are many, but my participation in an international congress, the 23ème International Symposium on Lactic Bacteria in the Netherlands, was one of my best memories, as it gave me the opportunity to present my results and to meet some great people. The end of the thesis writing process and the publication of my first article were also particularly memorable moments, as they enabled me to appreciate and showcase the work I’d achieved.
Today, I have the pleasure of joining the MicroOrganimS Center of Excellence team as a researcher. I’m delighted to be pursuing my research at the heart of the Group’s microorganism collection.
A great success!
To find out more, feel free to consult the scientific publication dedicated to “Taxonomic and phenotypic analysis of bifidobacteria isolated from IBD patients as potential probiotic strains” published in June 2024. Bosselaar, S., Dhelin, L., Dautel, E. et al. . BMC Microbiol 24 , 233 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-024-03368-4