Work experiences 

 

National University of Singapore, Department of Biological Sciences, NUS-DBS       2014 to 2015 

Research fellow at Kini’s Lab (Protein Science Laboratory, Prof. R. Manjunatha KINI). 

Main project: Toxins with therapeutic potential discovery. Recombinant expression in E.coli of diverse snake toxins using original fusion partners. 

Side projects: Phylogenetic analysis of newly discovered snake neurotoxins (Published in Hassan-Puttaswamyet et al, ACS Chemical Biology 2015). Proteomic analysis of diverse snake venoms performed by trypsin digestion coupled to mass spectrometry analysis. Development of a micro-assay via the Bilayer Inference Technology (Forte Bio) to identify human blood factors binders from centipede crude venoms. Snake venom evolution and regulation. 

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French atomic and alternative energies commission, CEA-Saclay                             2010 to 2013 

Ph.D. at the department of protein engineering (SIMOPRO). 

Ph.D. advisor: Dr. Denis SERVENT. 

Pharmacological characterization of synthetic mamba three-finger toxins on 29 human aminergic GPCR subtypes by radioactive ligand displacement assay. Original activities for some toxins with adrenergic and dopaminergic receptors were described. Coupled with phylogenetic analysis these toxins are now regrouped as aminergic toxins. Original toxin engineering methods were developed by rational design, directed evolution (phage display) and semi-rational evolution (based on ancestral toxin reconstruction) in order to change toxin selectivity profiles. 

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French atomic and alternative energies commission, CEA-Saclay                             2009 

8 months master internship at the department of protein engineering (SIMOPRO). 

Advisor: Dr. Carole FRUCHART-GAILLARD. 

Western Blot analysis of the muscarinic M1 receptor dimer induced by the toxin MT7. Crosslinking experiments between vicinal cysteines of M1 dimer were performed in order to evaluate the dimerization interface proposed by a structural model. 

Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 2008 

3 months internship at the Biogenesis of Peptide Signals laboratory (BIOSIPE, Prof. Thierry FOULON). 

RNA size determination by Northern Blot of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme isoforms expressed in crayfish hepatopancreas. 

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Education 

Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC),                                                  Paris 2010 to 2013 

Doctorat (equivalent to Ph.D.) on biochemistry and molecular evolution performed at the department of protein engineering (SIMOPRO, CEA-Saclay). 2 short trainings (1 week each) on sequence alignment and molecular phylogeny were completed during the Ph.D. 

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Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC),                                                  Paris 2008 to 2010 

European master degree on molecular and cellular biology with an emphasis on animal physiology and integrative biology (first year) and on protein biochemistry and molecular biology (second year). 

Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC),                                                  Paris 2005 to 2008

Licence on life sciences (equivalent to Bachelor of Science) with an emphasis on organism ecology (second year) and on animal and plant physiology (third year). 

 

Technical and specialized skills 

 

Computer skills 

Operating systems: UNIX (Ubuntu), Macintosh and Windows (Microsoft office) including bioinformatical tools (sequence alignment, protein structure visualization, molecular phylogeny and ancestral protein resurrection). Basics in computer programming (C language) 

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Technical skills 

Peptide and membrane protein biochemistry (peptide synthesis, recombinant expression, protein purification, rp-HPLC, Western Blot), protein engineering (rational and semi-rational methods), molecular biology (cloning, Northern Blot), eukaryotic cells culture, GPCR pharmacology (binding and functional assays). 

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Miscellaneous 

Passion for snakes and other venomous animals. Strong interest on evolutionary biology, biodiversity and history of Science. Snakes and insects breeder and wildlife photographer. 

Member of the French Society of Toxinology (SFET) and the French Society of Herpetology (SHF). 

 

Research activities and Teaching 

 

Publications (9) 

2017

Brahma R.K., Blanchet G., Kaur S., Kini R.M. and Doley R. Expression and characterization of haemathrins, madanin-like thrombin inhibitors, isolated from the salivary gland of tick Haemaphysalis bispinosa (Acari: Ixodidae).Thrombosis Research 152 (2017) 20–29.

 

2016 

-Han S.X., Kwong S., Ge R., Kolatkar P., Woods A., Blanchet G. and Kini M.R. Regulation of expression of snake venom toxins: silencing of prothrombin activator trocarin D by AG-rich motifs. FASEB doi: 10.1096/fj.201600213R 

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2015 

-Ducancel F. and Blanchet G. Book chapter « Toxines et Venins de Serpents » from « La Fonction Venimeuse » coordinated by Rollard C., Chippeaux J-P., Goyffon M. Edited by Elsevier Tec & Doc, June 2015 

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2014 

-Blanchet G., Collet G., Mourier G., Gilles N., Fruchart-Gaillard C., Marcon E., Servent D. Polypharmacology Profiles and Phylogenetic Analysis of Three-Finger Toxins from Mamba Venom: Case of Aminergic Toxins. Biochimie 103: 109-117. 

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-Maïga, A., Dupont M., Blanchet G., et al. Molecular exploration of the α1A-adrenoceptor orthosteric site: binding site definition for epinephrine, HEAT and prazosin. FEBS Lett. 588: 4613–9 (2014). 

 

2013 

-Terrat Y., Sunagar K., Fry B. G., Jackson T., Scheib H., Fourmy R., Verdenaud M., Blanchet G., Antunes A., and Ducancel F. (2013). Atractaspis Aterrima Toxins: The First Insight into the Molecular Evolution of Venom in Side-Stabbers. Toxins 5(11): 1948–64. 

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-Blanchet G., Upert G., Mourier G., Gilquin B., et al. New α-adrenergic property for synthetic MTβ and CM-3 three-finger fold toxins from black mamba. Toxicon 75: 160–7. 

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2012 

-Fruchart-Gaillard C., Mourier G., Blanchet G., Vera L., Gilles N., et al. Engineering of three-finger fold toxins creates ligands with original pharmacological profiles for muscarinic and adrenergic receptors. PloS one 7: e39166. 

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2011 

-Servent D., Blanchet G., Mourier G., Marquer C., et al. Muscarinic toxins. Toxicon 58: 455–463. 

 

Conference proceeding and Awards 

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2014 

-Award of the best oral presentation on the laboratory research themes and main achievements in the Department of Biological Sciences meeting (National University of Singapore). 

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2013 

-ALPHY meeting (sequence alignment, molecular phylogeny and genome evolution) Lyon, France. Oral conference on mamba toxins diversity and evolution. 

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2012 

-SFET meeting (French society of toxinology) Paris, France. Oral conference on mamba toxins diversity and evolution and a poster on the description of aminergic toxins from the mamba venoms. Abstract published in Toxicon (volume 75 – 2013) 

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-JCARD meeting (young biology researchers price) Paris, France. Poster on the description of aminergic toxins from the mamba venoms. 

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2011 

-SFET meeting (French society of toxinology) Paris, France. Oral conference and a poster on the description of aminergic toxins from the mamba venoms. 

European section of the IST, Valencia, Spain. Poster on the description of aminergic toxins from the mamba venoms. 

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Teaching 

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2011 to 2013 

-Lecture course at Université Pierre et Marie Curie for second year master students (biochemistry) on animal venoms. 

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2011 to 2012 

-Lab work at the National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN-CEA) for second year master students on the use of radioactivity in pharmacology.