The 2020 Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers went to Lise Dauban, post-doctoral fellow in cell biology and genetics, for her work on the three-dimensional organization of DNA.

The organization of the genome: how about putting some order in it?

Every cell in the human body contains two meters of DNA compacted into a nucleus ten micrometers in diameter. Lise Dauban studies how DNA is organized in cell nuclei.

More specifically, she is trying to understand how the spatial organization of DNA is regulated. DNA is not randomly distributed in the nucleus. Its location influences certain biological processes. For example, genes in the center of the nucleus are more expressed than those on the edge. The disruption of DNA organization and the deregulation of gene expression are correlated to the development of cancer and genetic diseases. It is therefore essential to analyze how DNA organization is regulated.

DNA’s three-dimensional structure

Lise Dauban studies the DNA sequences responsible for correctly locating DNA on the edge of the nucleus. She will assess the consequences of DNA repositioning on its 3D structure and gene expression.

For her post-doctorate at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, Dr. Dauban will analyze DNA sequences using new technology that can modify their organization. By studying these reorganizations, she hopes to identify the main principles governing DNA organization in the nucleus. Her findings will be a significant step forward in genetic medicine.

“I’m trying to figure out how DNA is organized in three dimensions in our cells.” Lise Dauban

Lise Dauban in a few words

Lise Dauban specializes in cell biology and genetics. For her PhD, she studied the spatial organization of yeast chromosomes.

In her post-doctoral project, she will broaden her scope of research by shifting her study model from yeast to mammalian cells. She will also develop her skills in bioinformatics and new genomics technologies. Later, Dr. Dauban would like to study the biological processes of replication and transcription as well as nuclear bodies to better understand their relationship to genome organization.

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