Olivier Preynat-seauve

Biography

The first topic of our research is focused on the molecular study of non-human genomes in blood products for transfusion. Infectious prevention of transfusion is currently based on clinical and biological investigations performed on donors prior to blood donation. This process is limited by the sensitivity of used biological tests and the hypothetic presence of viruses which are not systematically screened in donors and which does not induce any clinical symptoms. Unsuited pathogens could then be present in blood products and could be dangerous notably in immunosuppressed patients receiving transfusions (e.g. leukaemia, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation). An analysis of the viral landscape in blood banks is then needed to increase infectious safety of transfusion. We currently develop a molecular strategy based on high throughput sequencing to track the presence of unsuited viral signatures in blood banks, with the goal to estimate the prevalence of dangerous viruses in blood products. The second topic of our group is to understand the nature, the quantity and the biological activity of cell-free nucleic acids present in blood products. Trough analysis of gene regulation, we recently identified that blood products-associated cell free nucleic acids activate pro-inflammatory genes. The biological consequences of this activation is currently under investigation

Research Interest

Nephrology