DrAntoine Dujon

My research explores how environmental change shapes disease dynamics across biological systems. I work at the interface of evolutionary biology, ecology, and disease biology, with a particular focus on understanding how environmental stressors influence the emergence of cancer and other pathologies in natural populations.

A central goal of my research program is to understand how ecosystem degradation translates into biological stress at the cellular and organismal levels. Modern environments expose organisms to multiple stressors—including pollution, habitat disturbance, urbanisation, and climate change—which can disrupt physiological maintenance mechanisms and increase the risk of disease. I investigate how these cumulative pressures influence tumour emergence and disease risk across species, using disease processes as indicators of ecosystem health.

My work contributes to the developing field of eco-evolutionary disease biology, which seeks to integrate ecological context into the study of disease processes. I am particularly interested in how evolutionary processes shape organismal defences against cancer and how these defences interact with environmental conditions. By combining evolutionary theory with experimental biology, my research aims to better understand why some organisms are highly resilient to disease while others are more vulnerable.

Experimentally, my research program relies on tractable model systems that allow controlled testing of ecological and environmental hypotheses. I work extensively with freshwater organisms such as planaria and hydra, which possess remarkable regenerative abilities and can develop tumour-like growths under certain conditions. These models enable high-resolution experimental studies of regeneration, cell proliferation, and tumour emergence under different environmental stress regimes. Because these organisms are inexpensive to maintain and experimentally versatile, they provide powerful systems for scaling experimental tests of environmental stress and disease emergence.

Alongside experimental approaches, I use quantitative modelling and comparative analyses to investigate disease patterns across species and ecosystems. My work frequently integrates ecological data, evolutionary theory, and advanced statistical modelling to identify broad patterns in disease risk and biological resilience.

Through this research program, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of how environmental change influences the biological foundations of health. Ultimately, this work seeks to connect ecosystem health, evolutionary processes, and disease emergence, helping to develop predictive frameworks for how environmental stressors may shape disease risk in wildlife and human populations.