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The scientific priority 4 “Health & Diseases at extremities of life” of the Pasteur 2030 strategic plan, is pleased to announce the four projects selected from among the twenty-four received in response to its Seed Grants 2026 call for proposals launched last November.  

The selection process was particularly challenging, as 25 projects of very high quality were received. Priority was given to projects that were original and fully interdisciplinary, with participants coming from at least two different departments. This call also aimed to support a diversity of career stages, from PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to early-career permanent researchers and engineers. 

Please do not be disappointed if your project was not selected this time—continue along this excellent path. 


 List of the 4 selected projects:

• “MAMBA : Exploring how Milk substitute Additives shape the Microbiota-Brain Axis in early life” - Héloïse Rytter, a postdoctoral fellow in the Microbiome-Host Interactions unit and Ana Blas Medina, a PhD student in the Brain-immune communication unit. 

• "AI-driven discovery of virome associations with human aging” -  Xin Hou, a postdoctoral fellow in the Evolutionary genomics of RNA viruses unit and Cian Reid, a postdoctoral fellow in the Human Evolutionary Genetics unit 

• “Mechanisms of Virus-Induced Accelerated Aging” -  Rubén González, a postdoctoral fellow in the Viruses and RNA Interference unit and Ana Karina Morao, a postdoctoral fellow in the Mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance unit

• “Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on α-Synuclein Pathology, Organelle Dysfunction, and Neuronal Connectivity in Parkinson’s Disease Models” -  Anna Pepe, a research engineer in the Membrane Traffic and Pathogenesis unit and Guilherme Dias de Melo, a research associate in the Lyssavirus epidemiology and neuropathology unit.