Medhi Boutasbih
Research Assistant
In 2024, I obtained a Master of Engineering in Biochemistry and a Master of Science in Infection Biology from ENSCM and the University of Montpellier, France. I completed my master's thesis in molecular virology in the laboratory of Prof. Jane McKeating, where I investigated the role of an exoribonuclease in the replication of hepatitis B and D viruses, as well as the role of hypoxia on their respective life cycles.
Since 2025, I have been working as a Research Assistant in the McKeating Group, focusing on hepatitis B and D virus infections in human liver tissue. My research explores the interplay between the liver microenvironment and viral infection, with a particular interest in understanding the molecular and cellular determinants of host susceptibility to viral infections and their impact on disease pathogenesis. I am particularly interested in leveraging imaging approaches alongside quantitative spatial transcriptomics and proteomics to address fundamental questions about hepatocellular biology, local immune responses, and the heterogeneity of viral infections at single-cell resolution.