Simon Ville, post-doctoral fellow in immunology, won the 2020 Bettencourt Young Researchers Prize for his work on kidney transplant rejection mechanisms.

From kidney failure to transplant

Kidney failure is a chronic disease affecting between 8 and 16% of the world's population. End-stage disease occurs when both kidneys lose 85% of their function. Dialysis or a kidney transplant is necessary. Sometimes the recipient rejects the transplant.

A better understanding of the reasons for rejection at the cellular level would pave the way for more accurate predictive diagnostics and new treatments.

Mapping cell rejection

Simon Ville aims to map cell rejection to understand its mechanisms better. He uses a cutting-edge technology called single cell RNAseq, which analyzes gene activity in each cell of the transplant.

The goal is to study the immunological mechanisms of rejection to improve the lifespan of transplanted kidneys, thereby shortening the waiting time for an operation.

"Cellular mapping of kidney transplant rejection is a key step towards personalized patient management." Simon Ville

Simon Ville in a few words

Simon Ville is a nephrologist and science PhD focusing on kidney transplant immunology. His hospital and university career allows him to combine clinical activities with research.

Both of his PhDs, in medicine and science, were on the prevention of kidney transplant rejection. During his first post-doctorate on Professor Gilles Blancho’s team at the Transplant and Immunology Center for Research (CTRI) in Nantes, he studied the rejected transplant’s cell sequencing.

His second post-doctorate will be supervised by Dr. Menna Clathworthy in the Department of Medicine at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Young Researchers Bettencourt Prize

Created in 1990, the Young Researchers Bettencourt Prize 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.

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