The 2021 Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers was awarded to Coline Arnould, a post-doctoral fellow in cell biology, for her work on Alzheimer's disease.

Reading DNA

Reading the genetic information in DNA is essential to the functioning of cells and organisms and partly regulated by how much the DNA is compacted in the cell nucleus. DNA is two meters long and must be compacted to fit into the nucleus of a 10µm cell, which is 200,000 times smaller. During the tightly controlled compacting process, often distant areas of DNA can be brought together, which can change the way genes are read.

DNA lesions due to cellular stress or an inefficient repair system can disrupt the delicate process and, therefore, the reading of certain genes.

Neurodegenerative diseases and DNA lesions

During her post-doctoral fellowship in Nadav Ahituv's laboratory in San Francisco, Coline Arnould will study the impact of DNA lesions on DNA organization in the nucleus and on gene reading in the context of Alzheimer's disease. Many DNA lesions are observed in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative disease that affects about 44 million people worldwide. Dr. Arnould will use cutting-edge technology such as single-cell and whole-genome studies to gain new insights into the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Her work may provide a new avenue of treatment for this and other neurodegenerative diseases where DNA lesions are found, such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Coline Arnould in a few words

For her PhD at the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, Coline Arnould focused on the three-dimensional organization of DNA in the nucleus of human cells. When DNA is damaged, for example by radiation, chemotherapy or stress, a series of coordinated events are triggered to repair it. In Gaëlle Legube's laboratory, Dr. Arnould uses advanced technology to study how the three-dimensional organization of DNA in the nucleus contributes to quickly triggering repair.

During her post-doctoral fellowship in the United States, she will continue exploring the link between DNA damage and DNA organization in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Dr. Arnould is deeply involved in scientific communication. During her PhD work, she participated in discussions with high school students. Every year, she contributes to the science festival.

© Thomas Campion / AFP pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

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