EDUCATION AND TRAINING

MSc, Molecular Biology and Genetics (University of Strasbourg, France)
PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology (University of Strasbourg, France)

BIOGRAPHY

Morgane Baldaccini is a French molecular and cellular biologist studying the mammalian antiviral response to emerging viruses. During her PhD, she investigated the role of the Dicer protein—best known for its function in the RNA interference pathway—in the human antiviral response to alphaviruses. She demonstrated that Dicer interacts with components of the mammalian type I interferon pathway and that its helicase domain limits the constitutive activation of this immune response. These findings support the existence of cross-talk between RNA interference and interferon-mediated antiviral defenses in mammals.