Paleoproteomics for Reconstructing Individual and Population Health from Past to present.
D-68
Doctorate Full Doctorate
- Disciplines
- Laboratory
- Laboratoire Anthropologie Archéologie Biologie
- Host institution
- Université Paris-Saclay GS Santé publique
- Doctoral school
- SANTÉ PUBLIQUE - ED 570
Description
Proteomics consists in the study of proteins and their functions within biological systems. Proteins can survive in ancient remains without degrading. It provides information about past individuals diseases, diet and physiological condition. Ancient DNA degrades faster than proteins, making proteins more stable biomarkers for studying ancient remains. The study of past health through paleoproteomics can provide valuable insights into evolution of diseases, immune responses and biological adaptations over time. Understanding ancient disease pattern and health conditions may help researchers better interpret the origin, progression and persistence of certain modern diseases. By studying past health can understand the modern diseases. Proteins are more stable and survive longer so proteomics becomes more useful for studying past health. Proteins can be recovered from various biological materials such as bones, teeth and preserved soft tissues providing valuable information about past individuals and population. Despite the growing application in archaeological research the studies have mostly focused on the identification and characterization of ancient proteins rather than direct application in reconstructing health status. Limited research on host pathogen interactions. Insufficient exploration of immune related proteins. Integrating biomolecular analyses with paleopathology supports a broader understanding of ancient disease ecology host pathogen interaction and population health dynamics.Proteomic analysis of dental calculus has emerged as a valuable tool for reconstructing ancient dietary behaviour including evidence of consumption among past population. Ancient dental calculus serves as a valuable biomolecular archive preserving dietary microbial and disease related information from past population.
Recent biomolecular studies have highlighted the importance of human environment interactions in shaping health disease patterns and biological adaptations in ancient population.
Paleoproteomics enables analysis of ancient protein from bones, teeth and dental calculus used to reconstruct ancient diet, oral microbiome and species identification. Proteins are more stable than ancient DNA. Advanced techniques improve protein detection.
Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of paleoproteomics in understanding ancient human health and biological condition. However several limitations remain protein degradation due to environmental factors affects data quality and contamination from modern poses challenges in ensuring authenticity. Research has shown that dental calculus preserves proteins associated with oral microbiota and periodontal disease, providing valuable insights into ancient health conditions. Existing literature highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary paleoproteomic research in reconstructing ancient health, disease ecology and evolutionary health trends.
Objective
To analyse health related protein markers in past human populations.
To examine proteomics evidence related proteins between past and present population.
To evaluate how these funding contribute to understanding modern health issues.
To investigate the application of paleoproteomics in bioarchaeological research.
To evaluate biomolecular preservation in ancient human remains.
To explore the potential of dental calculus as a source of ancient protein information.
To integrate theoretical and practical approaches in paleoproreomic research.
Skills required
Master 2 in archaeology/anthropology Knowledge in bioinformaticsBibliography
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3. Charlier, P., Lentignac, L., & Armengaud, J. (2025). An oral microbiome from 1929: Paleoproteomic study of a toothbrush belonging to Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929). Journal of stomatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, 127(3), 102691.
4. Engels, I., Burnett, A., Robert, P., Pironneau, C., Abrams, G., Bouwmeester, R., ... & Dhaenens, M. (2025). Classification of collagens via peptide ambiguation, in a paleoproteomic LC-MS/MS-based taxonomic pipeline. Journal of proteome research, 24(4), 1907-1925.
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12. Charlier, P., & Armengaud, J. (2025, May). Cranio-facial trauma diagnosis using paleo-proteotyping of a blood sample from Robespierre (1794). In Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises (Vol. 83, No. 3, pp. 445-448). Elsevier Masson.
13. Charlier, P., & Armengaud, J. (2025, May). Cranio-facial trauma diagnosis using paleo-proteotyping of a blood sample from Robespierre (1794). In Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises (Vol. 83, No. 3, pp. 445-448). Elsevier Masson.
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16. Bahmad, H. F., Ghssein, G., Bahmad, M., Elajami, T. K., Forghani, I., Tuda, C., & Ruiz-Cordero, R. (2026). Paleopathology Meets Public Health: Deep-Time Syndemics and the Ecology of Emerging Infections. Pathogens, 15(5), 543.
17. Pecnik, J., Ventresca Miller, A. R., Panse, C., Kunz, L., Dittmann, A., Johnson, J. A., ... & Wilkin, S. (2026). Paleo-proteomic analysis of Iron Age dental calculus provides direct evidence of Scythian reliance on ruminant dairy. PLoS One, 21(1), e0339464.
18. Riccomi, G., Rosselli, L., Marchesi, M., Guidi, F., Taloni, M., Ricci, G., ... & Wilkin, S. (2025). Palaeoproteomic characterization of archaeological dental calculus reveals precarious periodontal health in pre-Roman Italy (7th4th century BCE). Journal of Proteomics, 105503.
19. Neves, D., Cristiani, E., Carvalho, A. F., & Silva, A. M. (2026). Unlocking the past: Dental calculus as key to understanding ancient health and disease through a One Health framework. International Journal of Paleopathology, 53, 116-123.
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Keywords
Paleopathology, Evolutive medicineGrant holder offer / non-funded
Open to all countries
Dates
Application deadline 01/11/26
Duration36 months
Start date01/10/26
Creation date11/06/26
Languages
Level of french requiredNone
Level of English requiredB2 (upper-intermediate)
Miscellaneous
Annual tuition fee400 € / year
Contacts
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