Aude G. Bernheim

Research Statement

AI generated · Oct 15, 2026

Aude G. Bernheim's research centers on the antiviral defence arsenal of prokaryotes, mapping and quantifying the diverse systems bacteria and archaea use against phages. Her most-cited first-author review, on the pan-immune system of bacteria as a community resource, and her senior-authored systematic survey of that arsenal together established a framework for viewing defence as a shared, mobile trait. Related work spans prokaryotic viperins and their diverse antiviral molecules and, more recently, predicting strain-level phage–host interactions across the Escherichia genus from genomic information alone. Beyond these, Bernheim contributed to CRISPRCasFinder, a widely used tool for detecting CRISPR-Cas systems and Cas proteins, and to the discovery of bacterial retrons functioning in anti-phage defence. Her earlier work examined how type II-A CRISPR-Cas systems inhibit NHEJ repair and how atypical CRISPR and cas organizations interact epistatically across genomes and mobile elements. No software, datasets, grants, or patents beyond publications are indexed. Across these outputs, the through-line is a shift from cataloguing individual defence systems toward understanding how they combine, spread, and shape microbial immunity.

Most Cited Works

CRISPRCasFinder, an update of CRISRFinder, includes a portable version, enhanced performance and integrates search for Cas proteins

David Couvin, Aude Bernheim, Claire Toffano-Nioche, Marie Touchon, Juraj Michalik, Bertrand Néron, Eduardo P C Rocha, Gilles Vergnaud, Daniel Gautheret, Christine Pourcel

Nucleic Acids Research2018

1,570Citations

Systematic and quantitative view of the antiviral arsenal of prokaryotes

Florian Tesson, Alexandre Hervé, Ernest Mordret, Marie Touchon, Camille d'Humières, Jean Cury

Research Areas

Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBacteriophages and microbial interactionCRISPR and Genetic EngineeringInvertebrate Immune Response MechanismsEvolution and Genetic Dynamics

Affiliations & Education

Employment

2016–2026
Institut Pasteur(FR)
Head of lab · Genomes and Genetics

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