Sanofi-Institut Pasteur International Junior Award for Marek Basler

Prof. Marek Basler will receive the Sanofi-Institut Pasteur International Junior Award together with Prof. Ido Amit, Weizmann Institute of Science, and Prof. Andrea Ablasser from EPFL. The prize is awarded annually to recognize scientists for their outstanding work demonstrating important scientific progress in the field of life sciences. The three international junior awardees are rewarded with a total of EUR 100,000 to support their research.

Basler has been recognized for his research on the structure, assembly and mode of action of a bacterial nanomachine, the so-called type VI secretion system (T6SS). His work has impacted research in many areas of microbiology, such as pathogenesis and microbial communities. The festive presentation of the awards took place at the Institut Pasteur in Paris on 12 December 2019.

T6SS – a versatile tool

The T6SS nanomachine is a widely used export system found in a variety of bacteria, including many pathogens such as the cholera causing pathogen, Vibrio cholerae. Various bacteria use these nanosized spearguns to fight competitors or invade host cells. Using the T6SS, they inject a cocktail of toxic proteins into other cells and putting them out of action. Basler’s team has gained a comprehensive insight into the structure and function of the T6SS.

Furthermore, Basler and his team have been able to show the wide use of the nanomachine in the microbial world: It helps bacteria to conquer new ecological niches, enables them to access the genetic material of rivals and to free themselves from the captivity of human defense cells. With the newly gained insights into the T6SS assembly, regulation and function, the scientists can better understand how pathogens cause infections. The findings also provide clues for the search for new antibacterial targets.

Successful infection biologist

Marek Basler received his PhD from the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2007. Before he was appointed Assistant Professor of Infection Biology at the University of Basel in 2013, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA. The young scientist has already received several awards including the Friedrich Miescher Award and the EMBO Gold Medal. He was named an EMBO Young Investigator and has been supported with a SNSF Starting Grant. Earlier this week, the European Research Council awarded him an ERC Consolidator Grant.

Awards for Life Sciences

The Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Awards, launched in 2012, evolved from a long-standing collaboration between both partners, Sanofi and the Institut Pasteur, with the goal of promoting scientific excellence as well as innovations in the service of global health. The jury is composed of distinguished persons and, this year, chaired by the Nobel laureate Prof. Elizabeth Blackburn.