Sylvain Moineau, Département de biochimie, microbiologie et bio-informatique
In our laboratory, we are studying bacteriophages (or phages).
It is now recognized that phages are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. These viruses specifically infect bacteria. They are found in the same environments as their bacterial hosts and play a key role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. Phages are also excellent viral models applicable to various research areas.
Bacteriophages can be both friends and foes. Friends since they suppress bacterial populations with harmful properties, including pathogenic bacteria. These phages can have industrial and medical applications as biocontrol agents. Foes because they can destroy bacteria that play an important role in food fermentations.
Our main goal is to increase knowledge of phage biology. We favor an integrative approach (combining data from genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and structural biology) to understand the interactions between phages and bacteria. New tools are also developed to remove bacteriophages in dairy fermentations and to favor their use as antibacterial agents in various industrial sectors and public health.
Our laboratory also houses the largest public collection of bacteriophages in the world (www.phage.ulaval.ca).