• Chemistry and Materials
  • Health and Nutrition

Infectious agents, Resistance & Chemotherapy (AGIR)

Research unit - UR 4294

Description

The AGIR research unit is interested in the development of new anti-infective molecules, with their own antimicrobial properties and/or capable of countering resistance phenomena linked to a lack of concentration of antibiotics in microorganisms (siderophore analogues, efflux pump inhibitors…)

The research themes of the team focus on 4 groups of infectious agents found in the clinic:
- ESKAPEE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Actinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli) (example: nosocomial infections)
- Mycobacteria (typical and atypical) (example: tuberculosis)
- Plasmodium falciparum (example: malaria)
- BK virus

Contacts

  • Sandrine Castelain
    Assistant director
  • Laurence Marquis
    Secretary
  • Pascal Sonnet
    Director

Informations

Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé - CURS, Avenue Laennec
Pôle K - CHU Sud D408 (René Laennec)
80054 AMIENS Cedex 1

https://agir.u-picardie.fr/

Infectious agents, Resistance & Chemotherapy

Effectif

Effectif total : 46

Personnel de recherche : 28

Personnel d'appui à la recherche : 8

Expertises

Skills

AGIR develops and studies new anti-infectious molecules according to a global and multidisciplinary scientific approach:


• Epidemiology and clinical research: characterisation of the biomolecular targets of pathogens;

• Pharmacochemistry: design and synthesis of antiinfectious molecules;

• Physicochemistry and Bioinformatics: study of structureactivity relations in silico;

• Microbiology and Molecular Biology: in vitro biological evaluation, development of cellular models and biomolecular study of mechanisms of action;

• Pharmacokinetics and ex vivo / in vivo biological evaluation in animal models.

Example(s) of projects

1. SEAPAL Project ""Synthesis and study of new enantiomerically pure antipaLudic drugs"":
Synthesis and evaluation of new amino-alcohol derivatives with a quinoline structure potentially active to counter resistance phenomena in Plasmodium falciparum.

2. SYNETUBER project ""Synthesis and study of new antituberculosis drugs""
Synthesis and evaluation of the activity of new antituberculosis drugs (heterocyclic derivatives and/or AMP (AntiMicrobial Peptides))

3. SASAB project ""Synthesis and study of analogues of siderophores with a broad antibacterial spectrum""
Synthesis and study of new analogues of siderophores (iron carriers), vectors of antibiotics (""Trojan horse strategy"")

4. BKSTRIP project ""Development of a rapid BK virus urine test for the benefit of the patient""
Development of a strip urine test for early detection of the reactivation of the BK virus for better management of patient follow-up in the post-transplant period.

5. AMBUCOVID Project:
Therapeutic trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerance of azithromycin in paucisymptomatic forms of the disease in outpatient care.

Example(s) of publications

1. (P2022-01) Seven shades of Cryptosporidium
J. Crestia, R. Razakandrainibe, D. Costa, C. Damiani, A. Totet, Y. Le Govic
Clin. Microbiol. Infect. (e-pub 2021, ahead of print); 🡭

2.(P2022-02) Antimalarial drug discovery: from quinine to the most recent promising clinical drug candidates
C. Tisnerat, A. Dassonville-Klimpt, F. Gosselet, P. Sonnet
Curr. Med. Chem. (e-pub 2021, ahead of print); 🡭

3.(P2022-03) The impact of phosphatidylserine exposure on cancer cell membranes on the activity of the anticancer peptide HB43
C. Herrera-Léon, F. Ramos-Martín, V. Antonietti, P. Sonnet, N. D’Amelio
FEBS J. (e-pub 2021, ahead of print); 🡭

4. (P2022-04) Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel aminoalcohol quinolines with strong in vitro antimalarial activity
A. Dassonville-Klimpt, J. Schneider, C. Damiani, S. Klieber, A. Cohen, C. Tisnerat, N. Azas, A. Totet, J. Guillon, C. Mullié, P. Agnamey, N. Taudon, A. Pellet, B. Pradines, P. Sonnet
Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2022, 228, 113981 (e-pub 2021, ahead of print); 🡭

5.(P2022-05) Retrospective multicentric study on Campylobacter spp. bacteremia in France: the Campylobacteremia study
C. Tinévez, F. Velardo, A. G. Ranc, D. Dubois, H. Pailhoriès, C. Codde, O. Join-Lambert, E. Gras, S. Corvec, C. Neuwirth, C. Melenotte, M. Dorel, A. S. Lagneaux, M. Pichon, V. Doat, D. Fournier, A. Lemaignen, L. Bouard, P. Patoz, G. Hery-Arnaud, N. Lemaitre, C. Couzigou, T. Guillard, E. Recalt, E. Bille, Y. Belaroussi, D. Neau, C. Cazanave, P. Lehours, M. Puges; Campylobacteremia study group Clin. Infect. Dis. (e-pub 2021, ahead of print); 🡭.

You can find all publications here :
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Collaborations/Partners/Scientific clients

National :University of Rouen, Pasteur Institute of Lille, Center for Infection & Immunity of Lille, University of technology of Compiègne (UTC), Reims Institute of Molecular Chemistry, University of Strasbourg, SATT Nord, MAVIVH (University of Tours), Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, LBHE (Artois University)

Collaborations/Partners/Private Clients

FAVI, JANSSEN, SANOFI - AVENTIS, Start-up: Pharmamems, Pharm’Aging, SERVIER, THERANEXUS

Services offers

Services provided

We provide services related to all our areas of expertise.

Training offers

Yes (initiation to research, Master in infectiology)

Consulting services

We provide consulting services related to all our areas of expertise.

Equipments



Find the detailed list of equipments with this link (in french) : https://agir.u-picardie.fr/laboratoire/plateforme-technologique/

Biological materials

"ESKAPEE Bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acitenobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli), MYCOBACTERIA (M. bovis DSM 43990, M. smegmatis DSM 43465 Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. bohemicum DSM 44277, MAC 101 and M. xenopi ATCC 19971), PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM, BK VIRUS.
Mice are used for in vivo and ex vivo evaluations."

Ecosystem

Affiliated institutions / organisations

Partner institution(s)

Regional strategic areas of activity

  • Chemistry and Materials
    • Organic chemistry
  • Health and Nutrition
    • Food ingredients