CV Science

Olivier Terrier Research Director (DR2 CNRS), HDR, PhD in Virology/ Influenza and other respiratory viruses

Course and current status

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9393-7684

Current position : Research Director (DR2 CNRS)

My current research projects consist to study virus-host interactions at the level of human respiratory epithelium. Another part of my current work is dedicated to the development of innovative approaches to identify/repurpose small molecules of interest in the field of respiratory viruses based on their transcriptional signatures of infection. I am particularly interested in the study of co-infections/superinfections between viruses and bacteria, and I am developing new experimental models for this purpose.

Over the past 15 years, I have developed a strong expertise in the study of respiratory viruses, combining virology, molecular and cellular biology approaches, and developing experimental infection models in reconstituted human airway epithelium (HAE). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, our group set up and published one of the first model of SARS-CoV-2 infections in HAE, a model that was instrumental for several research projects (Pizzorno et al. cell Rep Medicine 2020; Maissonasse et al. Nature 2020; Pizzorno et al. Antiviral Research 2020; Asarnow et al. Cell 2021). These particularly relevant study models have also allowed us to study the cellular response during SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in particular to highlight qualitative and quantitative differences in immune responses between epithelium of nasal versus bronchial origin.

Convinced that there are no boundaries between fundamental and translational/applied research, our team has the ambition to carry out high-quality fundamental research that can provide answers to unmet medical needs in the field of respiratory infections.

I was involved in several national and international collaborations, I published more that 60 manuscripts in internationally peer-reviewed journals (h-index= 26) and was involved as inventor in 12 international patents. 

I regularly reviews manuscripts for international journals and program grants applications and I am currently Academic Editor for Scientific Reports and Review Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology.

Member of the steering committee of National Research Program "COVID-19" NRP78 of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Recipient of the CNRS Bronze Medal (2021), an award for early scientific career.

Previous positions

2015-2024 Researcher - Assistant Professor (CR1 CNRS, HDR),I was appointed in 2015 as permanent CNRS researcher in the VirPath Team (Pr Bruno Lina/Dr Manuel Rosa-Calatrava), which is part of the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (CIRI, INSERM U1111, CNRS UMR5308, ENS Lyon & Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1), based in Lyon, France.

2012-2015: Postdoctoral position. VirPath lab, Lyon , France (Dr Manuel Rosa-Calatrava). Study of the functional interplay between influenza viruses and the p53 pathway. Transcriptome -based identification and repurposing of antiviral molecules.

2010-2012: Associate postdoctoral researcher. Department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology, Dundee, UK (Prof Sir David P Lane and Dr Jean-Christophe Bourdon) in collaboration with VirPath lab EA4610, Lyon, France (Dr Manuel Rosa-Calatrava). Study of the interplay between influenza viruses and the p53 pathway.

2009-2010 : Postdoctoral position. FRE CNRS-UCBL 3011, Lyon, France (Prof. Bruno Lina). Influenza and parainfluenza envelope glycoproteins.

2005-2009: Doctoral position. FRE CNRS-UCBL 3011, Lyon, France (Prof. Bruno Lina). Parainfluenza virus envelope glycoproteins: structure versus function study and development of diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

2004-2005: Master student. FRE CNRS-UCBL 3011 and National reference center for Influenza (WHO collaborating center for Influenza), Lyon, France (Prof. Bruno Lina). Characterization of naturally occurring human parainfluenza type 2 virus (hPIV-2) variants.

Nov. 2003-May 2004: Master student. Laboratoire de Microbiologie et génétique UMR 5122, Lyon, France (Prof. Raymond Portalier). Study of the gene expression in oligopeptide transport in Lactococcus lactis.

Scientific summary

Supervision (Update Nov 2024)

Charles Terra (Doctorant TIMC-UGA/VirPath-CIRI - Fondation Air Liquide)

Kylian Trepat (Doctorant, UCBL, Bourse MESRI)

Aurélien Gibeaud (Doctorant, UCBL, ANR-DFG MORIARTY)

Laurine Payre (Doctorant, UCBL, ANR PRME NAReCO)

Main ongoing projects (update Novembrer 2024)

NAReCO: Unveiling the Functional Interactions of Microbial Neuraminidases within the Human Respiratory Epithelium: Insights into Their Role in Coinfections (ANR PRME 2024-2027).

3D-LUNGO: Deciphering the susceptibility to respiratory viruses in reconstructed 3D-tissues (PEPR-MIE 2023-2027). Collaborative project: L. Charkabarti (Institut Pasteur), C. Goujon (IRIM), E. Menu (CEA IDMIT), S. Gooba (Institu PAsteur), Bourdin (CHU Montpellier).

MORIARTY: Modelisation of viral co-infection in respiratory epithelium (ANR-DFG 2023-2026) - Collaborative project: J. Guedj (IAME, Paris), L. Opatowski (IP, Paris), F. Graw (Bioquant, Heidelberg), E. Ridriguez (BNITM, Hamburg).

IDVIA-MET-COVID19: Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on metabolism (Fondation Air Liquide). Collaborative project: A. Le Gouellec (TIMC/CHU Grenoble).

ZOOFLU: Tackling the emergence of zoonotic avian influenza viruses at the wildlife-domestic animal-human interface (PEPR-PREZODE, 2024-2028).

Previous projects

Ho-TARI: Identification of novel Host-Targeted Antimicrobial therapies for mixed Respiratory Infections (ANR JCJC 2021-2024).

Co-infections or superinfections of the lower respiratory tract with viruses/bacteria are commonly observed during acute respiratory infections, with a strong impact on the course and severity of disease. The main objective of the project, positioned at the interface between applied and fundamental research, is to identify novel antimicrobial host-targeted therapies against mixed viral/bacterial infections of the respiratory tract in a bedside-to- bench/bench-to-bedside approach, with a specific focus on different infection scenarios between respiratory viruses and bacteria. The data collected during the project will also contribute to enrich our knowledge of host-pathogens interactions in the context of co- infection and superinfections at the level of respiratory tract.

EPICOV: Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in HAE models (Fondation Air Liquide 2020-2021)

COEPIMUS. Co-infections between respiratory viruses and bacteria in a reconstituted human respiratory epithelium model derived from healthy donors versus COPD patients (Fondation Air Liquide 2020-2021)

CHROMACoV (ANR RA-COVID19 2020) Role of proinflammatory cytokines, PML nuclear bodies, and the HIRA histone chaperone complex in epigenetic changes associated to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Porteur/ P. Lomonte (INMG, Lyon). Partenaires : CIRI VirPath (O. Terrier), CRSA/Sorbonne Université (V. Marechal).

CoVNucleoVir (AAP Flash COVID Sorbonne Université) – Caractérisation et évaluation des propriétés antivirales du Naproxen. INSERM U938 CRSA, SU (A. Slama Schwok) ; Partenaires : CNRS UMR 8226 SU (J. Henri), INSERM U938 CRSA, SU (F. Berenbaum) et CIRI VirPath (O. Terrier).

EPONAC (Fondation ARC) – Décryptage du protéome externalisé des voies aéro-digestives supérieures et des tumeurs tête et cou pour mettre en évidence des co-récepteurs inattendus du virus SARS-CoV-2 : une approche de biologie du cancer. Porteur: CRCL(M. Albaret), Partenaire CIRI VirPath (O. Terrier)

 CARE (Corona Accelerated R&D in Europe) IMI2-RIA H2020-JTI-IMI2-2020-21-single-stage –Coordinateur : INSERM, Project leaders : Janssen Pharmaceuticals et Takeda, Partners : CEA, Helmholtz-Zentrum, LUMC, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Novartis, Pfizer, Merck, Bayer…).  VirPath fait partie du pôle INSERM avec les unités VRI-Inserm U955 et Inserm U1111 et responsable du WP5 (System Biology). (Co-PI VirPath : B Lina, O Terrier et M Rosa-Calatrava).

COEPI2. Transcriptional profiling of co-infections between respiratory viruses and bacteria in a reconstituted human respiratory epithelium model derived from healthy donors versus cystic fibrosis patients. (Funding Vaincre La Mucoviscidose/Association Gregory Lemarchal 2019-2020)

COEPI - Study of Influenza/S pneumoniae co-infections in the context of cystic fibrosis (Funding FINOVI foundation 2018-2019)FluGuard - Study of the interplay between influenza viruses and the p53 pathway.FluNext/Respiromix - Identification of small molecules of interest in the field of respiratory viruses based on their transcriptional signatures of infection.