Direct access Research units

Presentation

The M3i research unit (Insect Models of Innate Immunity; UPR9022) studies the molecular and cellular basis of antimicrobial defense and host-pathogen interactions in insects. Like all invertebrates, insects lack adaptive immunity (B and T lymphocytes, antibodies) and defend themselves only with innate immunity against infections.

Composed of about sixty researchers, university professors and associate professors, engineers, technicians, post-docs and doctoral or master’s students, grouped into 7 teams, the M3i unit uses as models Drosophila flies, in particular the famous fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, but also Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes, which are important vectors of parasitic (malaria) and viral (dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever) diseases.

Recognized internationally for the pioneering role it played in the field of innate immunity, crowned with the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology attributed to Jules Hoffmann (shared with Bruce Beutler and Ralph Steinman), the M3i unit benefits with the insectarium inaugurated in 2018 of a cutting-edge infrastructure in Europe to study infections transmitted by mosquitoes.

News

Agenda

Address

Insect Models of Innate Immunity

2 allée Konrad Roentgen
67084 STRASBOURG Cedex

+33 3 88 41 70 37 m3i-sec@ibmc-cnrs.unistra.fr

Teams

Contacts

Executive assistant
Bernadette STEVENIN
Financial management
Sylvie VILLAIN
Bio-informatic
Laurent TROXLER
Drosophila breeding assistant
Anaïs HILS

Our supervision

logo CNRS

Associated to

Logo Université de Strasbourg
Logo Inserm
Logo ANR
Logo Investissement d’Avenir
Logo FRM
Logo IUF
Logo Infravec2
Logo USIAS
Logo SFHI
Logo GMU
Logo ZIKAlliance