Claudie Bosc Lung cancer: a link between mitochondria and epigenetics to be discovered
Claudie Bosc, post-doctoral fellow in oncology under the supervision of Navdeep Chandel, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago
- 2021 • Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers
Claudie Bosc, post-doctoral fellow in oncology, won the 2021 Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers for her work on the involvement of mitochondria in lung cancer.
The involvement of mitochondria in regulating genetic expression
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer It can easily spread to a wide range of organs such as bones and the brain. Mitochondria, the cells’ power stations, play a key role in metastasis, but how remains a mystery.
While mitochondria’s best known function is to produce the cell’s energy, they are also involved in other tasks, such as regulating genetic expression. For example, some of the mitochondrial energy production chain’s components may also be present in the nucleus of cells and regulate gene reading with epigenetic mechanisms, i.e. by reversibly changing gene reading without modifying the DNA sequence.
Epigenetics and metastasis
Epigenetic changes are among the causes of cancer and metastasis. Claudie Bosc will study how epigenetic regulation by mitochondria contributes to metastasis in lung cancer patients.
In Navdeep Chandel's Chicago laboratory, she will use cutting-edge CRISPR technology to identify mitochondrial proteins that are thought to regulate the expression of genes involved in metastasis.
Once they are identified, Dr. Bosc will pursue the most promising leads to suggest therapies that may result in significant improvement for patients.
Claudie Bosc in a few words
Claudie Bosc received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 2013 from the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse and a biochemical engineering degree in 2016 from the National Institute of Applied Sciences, also in Toulouse.
Her PhD thesis under the supervision of Jean-Emmanuel Sarry at the Cancer Research Centre in Toulouse was about mitochondria and their metabolism in acute myeloid leukemia. Treating this form of leukemia is a major clinical challenge due to the poor prognosis and high relapse rate.
Dr. Bosc did an internship in the United States in the laboratory of Professor Martin Brand, a global mitochondrial bioenergetics expert, to receive training in the study of mitochondrial metabolism.
Back in France, she studied mitochondria in patients who have developed resistance to a treatment used in acute myeloid leukemia, AraC in combination with Venetoclax. Dr. Bosc ascertained that resistance is linked to a disruption of mitochondrial function. She unraveled its causes and proposed new molecular leads to improve treatment in patients resistant to the drug combination.
Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers
Created in 1990, the Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers is one of the first initiatives of the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller. Until 2021, this prize was awarded each year to 14 young doctors of science or doctors of medicine, to enable them to carry out their post-doctoral stay in the best foreign laboratories. 349 young researchers were distinguished. The prize endowment was €25,000.
All the award-winners