We are looking for a Master 2 student (M/F) for a 6-month internship within the ProbiHôte team at the MICALIS Institute (INRAE UMR1319) located in Jouy-en-Josas.
The intern will participate in a project funded by Carnot Qualiment to determine if delivery mode (c-section delivery versus vaginal delivery) impact asthma sensitivity on CD-1 mice.
MICALIS institute is a ZRR (zone à regime restrictif) requiring long administrative procedures, for this reason the selection of the candidate will be taken early.
Project summary
There is growing interest on the role of microbiota during the perinatal period due to the link between altered vertical microbiota transmission, as observed with C-section delivery (CSD), and the deregulation of the host-microbiota crosstalk, which impacts host homeostasis. Besides, the impact of delivery mode on the imprinting of the newborn physiological and immune systems is a hot topic of research, as microbiota disturbances in the first days of life seem to be related to the development of several long-term non-communicable diseases. At present, modern obstetric medicine is focused on reducing delivery complications, resulting in a high prevalence of caesarean sections (CS). CS are now one of the most common surgeries in the world, accounting for approximately 20% of births in France and more than 40% of births in some countries, such as Brazil. In 1985, WHO recommended that CSD rates should be lower than 10-15%5. However, CSD rates have continued to rise, mainly due to personal or medical convenience.
In parallel, the incidence of asthma has increased dramatically. Several meta-analyses have shown that infants born via CSD are at a higher risk of developing allergy, asthma, IBD and obesity among others. Since these children have an altered bacterial community, it has been hypothesized that these alterations lead to differences in mucosal tolerance and disease risk later in life. Allergic asthma is a major public health challenge, driven by Type 2 (Th2) immune responses and characterized by airway inflammation, eosinophilia, and mucus hypersecretion. This project aims to analyse the effect of delivery mode on House dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma in CD-1 mice.
The intern will contribute to a two-phase study:
- Model Optimization & Immune Profiling. The intern will be given murine samples from pups sensitized and challenged with HDM extract to elicit chronic airway inflammation and will study:
- Th2 Response Analysis: Secreted cytokines (e.g., IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TSLP) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung/tissue homogenates via ELISA or multiplex immunoassays.
- Tissue inflammation: Histopathological evaluation using H&E staining (cellular infiltration) and PAS/Alcian Blue staining (mucus/goblet cell hyperplasia).
- Cellular profiling: Differential BAL cell counts, with a focus on eosinophils (hallmark of Th2-driven asthma).
- Systemic markers: Inflammatory mediators in blood serum (e.g., total IgE, HDM-specific IgE, eosinophil chemokines) by ELISA.
- Depending on preliminary results, the intern will participate in a second experimental cohort comparing asthma-like response in pups from cesarean-section (C-section) vs. vaginal delivery, with a focus on:
- Lung inflammation (as above) and
- gut microbiome composition (16S rRNA sequencing or metagenomics) to investigate how birth mode modulates HDM-induced immune responses and microbiome-immune interactions.
Techniques & Skills
The intern will gain hands-on experience in:
- Immunology: ELISA, cytokine profiling, flow cytometry (if applicable).
- Histopathology: Tissue processing, staining (H&E, PAS/Alcian Blue), and quantitative microscopy.
- Microbiome analysis: DNA extraction, 16S rRNA sequencing (if involved in Phase 2), and bioinformatics.
- Data analysis: Statistical and visualization tools (GraphPad Prism, R).
- Animal experimentation
Candidate Profile
Education: M1 or equivalent in Immunology, Biology, Biochemistry, or related fields.
Skills: Strong interest in in vivo models, immune response analysis, and microbiome research. Prior experience with mouse work, ELISA, or histology is a plus.
Soft skills: Rigor, teamwork, and curiosity for translational research at the intersection of respiratory disease, mucosal immunity, and microbiome science.
Please send your CV, cover letter, M1 grades and letter(s) of recommendation from previous supervisor(s) (optional) to and
Informations
Micalis contact:
Rebeca Martin-Rosique : and
Vinciane Saint-Criq :
Team: ProbiHôte
Starting period: January 2027
