A post-doctoral position funded by the European Research Council (ERC) is available to investigate the function of genes regulated by the STING pathway in Drosophila. STING is a critical molecule of the antiviral innate immune pathway in mammals, whose activation or deregulation is involved in several types of pathologies beyond infectious diseases (e.g., cancer, neurodegenerative diseases). In Drosophila, STING participates in antiviral innate immunity and is activated by cyclic dinucleotides produced by at least two cGAS-like receptors (cGLR), which sense the presence of viruses. The aim of the project is to identify among the STING-regulated genes new antiviral factors and to make use of the assets of the Drosophila model to characterize their functions and document original antiviral strategies, with the long-term goal of inspiring innovative therapeutic approaches against viral infections. 

The selected applicant will join a multinational team coordinated by Carine Meignin and Jean-Luc Imler and hosted by the Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (CNRS) on the central campus of the University of Strasbourg (https://ibmc.cnrs.fr/en/laboratoire/m3i/). The project involves collaborations with leading laboratories in France, Denmark, China and USA. 

The applicants must have expertise in cell biology and Drosophila genetics. Enquiries/applications should be made by e-mail in the form of a CV, a letter of motivation and the names and addresses of three references to m3i-sec@ibmc-cnrs.unistra.fr. Starting date of the contract: spring 2025.