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The scientific priority 1 « Infectious disease threats » of the Pasteur 2030 strategic plan is pleased to announce the four projects selected from the fifteen applications submitted in response to its 2026 Seed-Grants call for proposals, launched last November. 


This call was dedicated to the campus postdoctoral fellows to give them the opportunity to explore new interdisciplinary research projects related to the infectious diseases threats and expand their network, through collaborations with different entities. 

This first Seed-Grants call for the scientific priority 1 gathered 30 different talented postdocs; each project was evaluated by several PIs of the Institut Pasteur who had no conflict of interest with any of the received applications. Their recommendations were fully respected to select the 8 postdoc laureates of that first 2026 edition call. It was very difficult for the selection committee to rank all the applications since all the projects received were very interesting, so whether you were granted or not: congratulations to all of you for the high-quality projects you built up! 

List of the four selected projects: 

• “Develop an inner ear organoid model to assess bacterial Acute Otitis Media” - Joana Pereira, a postdoctoral fellow in the Chromatin and Infection unit (Cell Biology & Infection Department) & Hassan Omais, a postdoctoral fellow in the Cochlear development and therapeutic perspectives unit (Hearing Institute)

• “Ancestral defenses against modern viral infection in humans” - Yann Aquino, a postdoctoral fellow in the Human Evolutionary Genetics unit Genomes and Genetics Department) & Matthieu Haudiquet, a postdoctoral fellow in the Moleculer Diversity of Microbes five-year group (G5) Genomes and Genetics Department)

• “Multi-organ-on-a-chip system suitable for Plasmodium vivax in vitro culture” - Marie Ali, a postdoctoral fellow in the Biology of Plasmodium Infection and Transmission five-year unit (U5) Parasites and Insect Vectors Department) & Jake Oliver Samuel, a postdoctoral fellow in the Biomaterials and Microfluidics Core Facility Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Department)

• “Friends or Foes: SARS-Cov-2 and S. pneumoniae coinfection in primary human nasal epithelium” - Caterina Prelli Bozzo, a postdoctoral fellow in the Virus and Immunity unit (Virology Department) & Alexander Lewis Marffy, a postdoctoral fellow in the Chromatin and Infection unit (Cell Biology & Infection Department).