Our Lab

The MCT laboratory is at the interface between chemistry and microbiology. It is a joint Inserm - Aix-Marseille Université - Service de Santé des Armées structure, headed by Jean Michel Bolla. We study bacterial resistance to antibiotics mediated by efflux pumps and membrane impermeability. We aim to understand how these mechanisms work and develop molecules that act against this resistance.

The Membrane and Therapeutic Targets (MCT) laboratory was created in 2018 to combine scientists from microbiology and chemistry with the challenge of building cross-sectoral collaborations with industrials and physicians. The dialogue between biologists and chemists was to develop new knowledge on antimicrobial resistance and new strategies to combat it, and the interaction with industrialists and physicians was to keep the laboratory as close as possible to the real world.

The microbiologists came from the UMR_MD1 (Chemo-resistance and Drug-Design Membrane Transporters, then directed by JM Pagès), which was involved in the study of Gram-negative membrane transporters, porins and efflux pumps in human pathogenic bacteria, including those considered as putative biological weapons (Burkholderia pseudomallei, Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, Bacillus anthracis). They have a strong background in understanding how membrane-associated mechanisms impede ABs' action. The chemists are interested in developing chemical libraries that mimic natural products, primarily with polyamine-containing structures. At the natural level, these compounds were initially identified as secondary metabolites, acting as defense agents produced by eukaryotes (plants, animals, sponges) against infections.

Moreover, we have set up a platform that allows us to select by High-Content Screening, molecules on any level 2 bacteria, and we benefit from an NSB3 laboratory (IRBA Brétigny-sur-Orge) to experiment on level 3 bacterial pathogens. The PiT2 platform (3 engineers) included in the "Marseille-Proteomic" network was also associated with the Laboratory at the time of its creation. It allows us to have skills to perform LC-MS/MS on liquid samples, and MALDI imaging on tissue sections.

Our Research

Since 2018 we have developed methodologies to better study the resistance to antibiotics involving the membranes from Gram-negative bacteria. The monitoring of accumulation of antibiotics into the bacterial cells, by the combination of fluorescence studies in bulk and in individual cells, thanks to a strong collaboration with Synchrotron SOLEIL allowed us to set up a robust protocol to study antibiotics transport, through porins and efflux pumps in Gram-negatives. With the contribution of chemistry, we develop numerous molecules, capable of either killing bacteria or perturbing membrane-associated mechanisms of resistance. Together we have obtained information but also opened new ways to study these mechanisms. The data obtained forms the basis for the development of tools for diagnostic or therapeutic tools, in the framework of projects in relation with the socio-economic actors of the sector.

In 2023, MCT integrated the Institute of Microbiology, Bioenergy, and Biotechnology (IM2B) which groups 11 UMRs and 25 technological platforms. This opens new avenues of collaboration and allows us to benefit from the facilities and knowledge of recognized teams in the field of microbiology.

The MCT laboratory contributes to research training through research.

It welcomes trainees from a wide range of backgrounds (from bachelor's to master's degrees), doctoral and post-doctoral students, biologists, pharmacists, and chemists.

Our positions