[Internship] Translational Pharmacology & Microbiology

Join our Translational Pharmacology team, based in Paris, as an intern (for a minimum period of 5 months) and contribute to the development of innovative preclinical models to test the efficacy of Eligobiotics®. You will be supervised by a translational scientist specialized in skin immunology and microbiology, and work closely with an international team at the interface of microbiology and drug development.

Eligo Bioscience develops a new class of biotherapeutics called Eligobiotics® that enable precision-editing of the microbiome. These phage-derived particles deliver synthetic DNA payloads into bacteria in situ. Eligobiotics® are developed for three types of applications:

1. Sequence-specific antimicrobials: Eligobiotics® deliver a DNA payload into specific bacteria, which then express a CRISPR-Cas complex. An RNA guides the CRISPR-Cas complex to a specific complementary DNA sequence (target sequence), causing double-strand breaks and the subsequent death of the bacteria. Only bacteria carrying the specific target DNA sequence are killed, while other bacteria remain intact.

2. Gene editing: Eligobiotics® deliver a DNA payload into specific bacteria, which then express a base editor complex. An RNA guide steers the base editor complex to a specific complementary DNA sequence (target sequence), leading to the substitution of a selected nucleotide with another. Specific mutations can be introduced without killing the bacteria.

3. Function addition to the microbiome: Eligobiotics® deliver a DNA payload into specific bacteria, which then express one or multiple transgenes of interest. The protein of interest is typically a therapeutic protein.

— YOUR MISSION —

During the internship, you will contribute to the development and optimization of ex vivo preclinical models to evaluate the performance of Eligobiotics®. This will involve:

• Setting up  microbiome models relevant to human skin for Eligobiotic® testing,
  
• Applying Eligobiotics® to these models and evaluating impact on commensal bacteria and drug delivery,
  
• Carrying out microbiological assays such as plating, colony-forming unit (CFU) quantification, and bacterial isolation,
  
• Performing molecular biology techniques (e.g., (dd)PCR, NGS sequencing) to analyze microbial composition and characterize microbial communities in human-derived samples, thereby supporting model design and validation.
  

— APPLICANT PROFILE —

• Master’s or Engineering student in microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, biomedical sciences, or a related life sciences field (from an EU country).
  
• Strong foundation in microbiology techniques (sterile handling, plating, CFU counting, bacterial isolation).
  
• Experience with molecular biology methods (PCR based methods DNA/RNA extraction and purification) required; familiarity with microbial community characterization is a plus.
  
• Prior exposure to skin models, tissue explants, or human-derived samples is desirable.
  
• Comfortable working in a multi-disciplinary and international environment, with excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written).
  
• Demonstrated autonomy, initiative, adaptability, and team spirit.
  
• Motivated, detail-oriented, and eager to contribute to translational drug development research.