Prof. Philippe Sansonetti is MD, he trained in infectious diseases in Paris hospitals and in bacterial genetics at Institut Pasteur, Paris, then at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research as a post-doctoral scientist. He is currently Emeritus Professor at Institut Pasteur and at the Collège de France, and Chief Scientist at Institut Pasteur Shanghai.
He pioneered the field of Cellular Microbiology by deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Shigella pathogenesis. He more recently applied similar approaches to decipher the symbiotic mechanisms established between the host and his gut microbiota. His work on Shigella vaccine development got him close to global health issues in low-income countries, particularly in Africa.
Philippe Sansonetti is a member of the French “Académie des sciences”, and a foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences and of the Royal Society.