Florence Pojer
Nationality: Swiss-French
+41 21 693 19 76
EPFL › VPA › VPA-AVP-DLE › AVP-DLE-EDOC › EDMS-ENS
Website: https://go.epfl.ch/edms
+41 21 693 19 76
EPFL › SV › SV-SSV › SSV-ENS
Website: https://sv.epfl.ch/education
+41 21 693 19 76
EPFL › P › P-EM › AE
Website: https://ae.epfl.ch/
Expertise
With main expertise in Integrative protein Structural Biology (e.g. biophysical techniques, X-ray Crystallography, SPR Cryo-EM,..)
And
production/Purification of macromolecules (e.g. antibodies, membrane proteins, growth factors...) expressed in mammalian, insect and bacterial cells
Expertise
With main expertise in Integrative protein Structural Biology (e.g. biophysical techniques, X-ray Crystallography, SPR Cryo-EM,..)
And
production/Purification of macromolecules (e.g. antibodies, membrane proteins, growth factors...) expressed in mammalian, insect and bacterial cells
Mission
On a daily basis, the team advises, supports and trains scientists in production, purification and biophysical/structural characterisations of macromolecules, such as enzymes, antibodies or any kind of proteins you are interested in.
Education
PhD thesis
| Antibiotic research
1999 – 2003
Tuebingen (Germany)
Directed by
Prof. Lutz Heide
Pharm D
| Pharmacy School1992 – 1998 Besancon (France)
Professionals experiences
Head of Protein Production and Structure Core Facility
Staff scientist
Post-doc
FragmentScope - exploring the fragment space with learned surface representations
2025Construction of dual-cofactor artificial metalloenzymes for synergistic and enantiodivergent catalysis of Michael addition reactions
Nature Synthesis. 2025. DOI : 10.1038/s44160-025-00940-2.Purification of SerMNucA (Benzonase/Turbonuclease) as 10xHis, MBP or myc-tag fusions v1
2025Artificial Metalloenzymes with Two Catalytic Cofactors for Tandem Abiotic Transformations
Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2025. DOI : 10.1002/anie.202422783.Standardized Production of Anti-Desmoglein 3 Antibody AK23 for Translational Pemphigus Vulgaris Research
Current protocols. 2024. DOI : 10.1002/cpz1.1118.Antibody-peptide conjugates deliver covalent inhibitors blocking oncogenic cathepsins
Nature Chemical Biology. 2024. DOI : 10.1038/s41589-024-01627-z.Manganese Transfer Hydrogenases Based on the Biotin-Streptavidin Technology
Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2023. DOI : 10.1002/anie.202311896.ACE2 mimetic antibody potently neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants and fully protects in XBB.1.5 challenged monkeys
2023Machine learning predictions of MHC-II specificities reveal alternative binding mode of class II epitopes
Immunity. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.03.009.Machine learning predictions of MHC-II specificities reveal alternative binding mode of class II epitopes
Immunity. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.03.009.High-affinity peptides developed against calprotectin and their application as synthetic ligands in diagnostic assays
Nature Communications. 2023. DOI : 10.1038/s41467-023-38075-7.Uncovering and engineering the mechanical properties of the adhesion GPCR ADGRG1 GAIN domain
2023. DOI : 10.1101/2023.04.05.535724.Cryo-EM structures and binding of mouse ACE2 to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
PLOS Pathogens. 2023. DOI : 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011206.Cryo-EM structures and binding of mouse and human ACE2 to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern indicate that mutations enabling immune escape could expand host range
PLOS Pathogens. 2023. DOI : 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011206.Purification of 10xHis-SuperTEV v1
2023Broadly potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody shares 93% of epitope with ACE2 and provides full protection in monkeys
Journal of Infection. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.jinf.2023.10.008.Structure-based optimization of type III indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitors
Journal Of Enzyme Inhibition And Medicinal Chemistry. 2022. DOI : 10.1080/14756366.2022.2089665.Patient-derived monoclonal antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants and confers full protection in monkeys
Nature Microbiology. 2022. DOI : 10.1038/s41564-022-01198-6.SARS-CoV-2 S Omicron Spike B.1.1.529
2022.A highly potent antibody effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Cell Reports. 2021. DOI : 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109814.A high-throughput cell- and virus-free assay shows reduced neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by COVID-19 convalescent plasma
Science Translational Medicine. 2021. DOI : 10.1126/scitranslmed.abi8452.Palmitoylated acyl protein thioesterase APT2 deforms membranes to extract substrate acyl chains
Nature Chemical Biology. 2021. DOI : 10.1038/s41589-021-00753-2.Azole-Based Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) Inhibitors
Journal Of Medicinal Chemistry. 2021. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01968.Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Spike versus Nucleoprotein Antibody Responses Impact the Estimates of Infections in Population-Based Seroprevalence Studies
Journal of Virology. 2021. DOI : 10.1128/JVI.01828-20.Changes in SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses Impact the Estimates of Infections in Population-Based Seroprevalence Studies
Journal of Virology. 2021. DOI : 10.1128/jvi.01828-20.Structural investigation of ACE2 dependent disassembly of the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein
bioRxiv. 2020. DOI : 10.1101/2020.10.12.336016.Selective inhibition of STAT3 signaling using monobodies targeting the coiled-coil and N-terminal domains
Nature Communications. 2020. DOI : 10.1038/s41467-020-17920-z.High resolution CryoEM structure of the ring-shaped virulence factor EspB from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Journal of Structural Biology (JSB). 2020. DOI : 10.1016/j.yjsbx.2020.100029.De novo development of proteolytically resistant therapeutic peptides for oral administration
Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2020. DOI : 10.1038/s41551-020-0556-3.Btk SH2-kinase interface is critical for allosteric kinase activation and its targeting inhibits B-cell neoplasms
Nature Communications. 2020. DOI : 10.1038/s41467-020-16128-5.Inhibition Mechanisms of Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1)
Journal Of Medicinal Chemistry. 2019. DOI : 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00942.2-Carboxyquinoxalines Kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis through Noncovalent Inhibition of DprE1
Acs Chemical Biology. 2015. DOI : 10.1021/cb5007163.Discovery of benzothiazoles as antimycobacterial agents: Synthesis, structure-activity relationships and binding studies with Mycobacterium tuberculosis decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-D-ribose 2 '-oxidase
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 2015. DOI : 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.11.017.Structure of EspB, a secreted substrate of the ESX-1 secretion system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Journal of Structural Biology (JSB). 2015. DOI : 10.1016/j.jsb.2015.06.003.Lansoprazole is an antituberculous prodrug targeting cytochrome bc1
Nature Communications. 2015. DOI : 10.1038/ncomms8659.Towards a new combination therapy for tuberculosis with next generation benzothiazinones
Embo Molecular Medicine. 2014. DOI : 10.1002/emmm.201303575.The Crystal Structures of Apo and cAMP-Bound GlxR from Corynebacterium glutamicum Reveal Structural and Dynamic Changes upon cAMP Binding in CRP/FNR Family Transcription Factors
Plos One. 2014. DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0113265.Pyridomycin bridges the NADH- and substratebinding pockets of the enoyl reductase InhA
Nature Chemical Biology. 2014. DOI : 10.1038/nchembio.1405.The cysteine desulfurase IscS of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is involved in iron sulfur cluster biogenesis and oxidative stress defence
Biochemical Journal. 2014. DOI : 10.1042/Bj20130732.Tetrahydrobiopterin Biosynthesis as an Off-Target of Sulfa Drugs
Science. 2013. DOI : 10.1126/science.1232972.Mycobacterium tuberculosis EspB binds phospholipids and mediates EsxA-independent virulence
Molecular Microbiology. 2013. DOI : 10.1111/mmi.12336.Phenotypic Profiling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis EspA Point Mutants Reveals that Blockage of ESAT-6 and CFP-10 Secretion In Vitro Does Not Always Correlate with Attenuation of Virulence
Journal of Bacteriology. 2013. DOI : 10.1128/Jb.00967-13.Structural Basis for Benzothiazinone-Mediated Killing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Science Translational Medicine. 2012. DOI : 10.1126/scitranslmed.3004395.Directed evolution of the suicide protein O⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase for increased reactivity results in an alkylated protein with exceptional stability
Biochemistry. 2012. DOI : 10.1021/bi2016537.Virulence Regulator EspR of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is a Nucleoid-Associated Protein
Plos Pathogens. 2012. DOI : 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002621.Structure and function of the transketolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and comparison with the human enzyme
Open Biology. 2012. DOI : 10.1098/rsob.110026.Characterization of Molecular Determinants of the Conformational Stability of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor: Leucine 46 Hydrophobic Pocket
PLoS ONE. 2012. DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0045024.Benzothiazinones Are Suicide Inhibitors of Mycobacterial Decaprenylphosphoryl-β-
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2012. DOI : 10.1021/ja211042r.Towards a new tuberculosis drug: pyridomycin - nature's isoniazid
Embo Molecular Medicine. 2012. DOI : 10.1002/emmm.201201689.Atypical DNA recognition mechanism used by the EspR virulence regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Molecular Microbiology. 2011. DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07813.x.EspD Is Critical for the Virulence-Mediating ESX-1 Secretion System in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Journal of Bacteriology. 2011. DOI : 10.1128/JB.06417-11.Sigma Factor F does not Prevent Rifampin Inhibition of RNA Polymerase or Cause Rifampin Tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Journal of Bacteriology. 2010. DOI : 10.1128/JB.00687-10.Towards anti-virulence drugs targeting ESX-1 mediated pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Drug Discovery Today: Disease Mechanisms. 2010. DOI : 10.1016/j.ddmec.2010.09.002.Teaching & PhD
Courses
Concept to early-stage drug and medTech products
BIO-497
This course explores how innovative drugs and medical devices are brought to the market. Experts from leading companies share real-world insights and experiences. By the end, students gain a clear and practical understanding of the clinical, regulatory and quality aspects.
Integrative structural biology for Life sciences
BIO-643
Hands-on course in Biomolecular Integrative Structural Biology by SV experts in the field of X-ray crystallography, cryo-Electron Microscopy, Bio-NMR and protein modeling tools. No previous knowledge in Structural Biology or Bioinformatics is required.
Methods: from disease models to therapy
BIOENG-518
This course will describe methods underlying translational approaches from disease modeling and characterization to therapeutic applications. The presented techniques will be complemented by hands-on rotations in the technological platforms of the School of Life Sciences.
Methods: omics in biomedical research
BIOENG-519
High-throughput methodologies broadly called Omics allow to characterize the complexity and dynamics of any biological system. This course will provide a general description of different methods related to the Omics field followed by hands-on rotations in participating technological platforms.
Recombinant protein expression in animal cells for appli-cations in medicine and structural biology
BIO-701
Cultivated animal cells are important hosts for the production of recombinant proteins for biochemical and structural studies and for use as therapeutics. The course will provide an overview of the methods for the production and characterization of recombinant proteins.