The 2020 Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers was awarded to Gautier Follain, post-doctoral fellow in cell biology, for his research on pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer: one of the deadliest

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest, with a five-year life expectancy of 10%. Surgery is useless in patients who are not diagnosed early enough. By the time of diagnosis, patients already have small tumors in several organs (metastases) and cancer cells in the blood. When they attach to and pass through the inner lining of blood vessels, the cells cause metastases in vital organs. Gautier Follain is trying to understand these cancer dissemination mechanisms in order to block them.His thesis focused on the role that blood flow strength plays in spreading cancer. He used zebrafish embryos because their transparency allowed him to view the interior of blood vessels with a microscope and study the behavior of cancer cells in the bloodstream. Cutting-edge microscope technology can be used to observe cellular mechanisms, the role of the environment (such as the presence of blood flow) and key proteins involved in the growth of cancer. His post-doctoral project is a continuation of his thesis. Dr. Follain will focus on the proteins involved in stopping pancreatic cancer cells on blood vessel walls despite the presence of blood flow that "pushes" the cells to keep moving. His findings will be used to develop new therapeutic strategies for cancer."Cancer is a complex disease with a multitude of key steps. Thoroughly studying them holds out hope for new treatments." Gautier Follain

Gautier Follain in a few words

Gautier Follain applies cell biology and biophysics to the field of basic cancer research. His post-doctoral project focuses on the role that blood flow force plays in metastatic processes. His findings have appeared in highly respected publications and reached a wide international audience. A gifted communicator and educator, Dr. Follain has taught at Strasbourg University.

His post-doctorate research, co-supervised by Prof. Johanna Ivaska and Dr. Guillaume Jacquemet at the Turku Biosciences Center in Finland, will allow him to continue studying the mechanisms likely to prevent metastasis by using advanced imaging technology.

Eventually, he hopes to set up his own laboratory, combining cell biology and physics to study the interactions between tumors and their microenvironment.

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