Tiphaine Douanne Identifying immune defense mechanisms for innovation in cancer research
Tiphaine Douanne, post-doctoral fellow in immunology, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) in the United Kingdom, under the supervision of Professor Gillian Griffiths
- 2020 • Bettencourt Prize for Young Researchers
Tiphaine Douanne, a post-doctoral fellow in immunology, won the 2020 Bettencourt Young Researchers Prize for her work on T lymphocytes.
The role of "killer" T lymphocytes
Our immune system consists of cells that protect our body from internal or external aggressions. Among them, "killer" T lymphocytes have a unique role: they can detect and neutralize cells considered dangerous.
In healthy organisms, T lymphocytes circulate but are inactive. As soon as infection or disease, such as cancer, occurs, they become activated, identify their target and destroy it without harming nearby healthy cells.
How do T lymphocytes attack infected or cancerous cells?
Tiphaine Douanne studies the interaction between T cells and their targets. She is particularly interested in the formation of the immunological synapse, a dynamic area of interaction between T cells and their targets. Dr. Douanne seeks to identify the molecules in the synapse to understand their role in the different stages of contact formation and in the functioning of this interaction. To do that, she combines genomic screening with high-resolution real-time microscopes.
Her goal is to decode the molecular mechanisms involved in the process to harness its cytotoxic characteristics in the fight against cancer.
"T-cells patrol our body, recognizing and eliminating infected and cancer cells." Tiphaine Douanne
Tiphaine Douanne in a few words
Tiphaine Douanne specializes in cell biology. She studied biology in Paris before completing her PhD at the Cancer and Immunology Research Center in Nantes and Angers. She uses advanced biochemical techniques and confocal microscopy to study lymphocyte behavior in certain aggressive lymphomas.
During her post-doctorate under the direction of Professor Gillian Griffiths at the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, she will deepen her expertise on T lymphocyte behavior and try to explain how they attack infected or cancerous cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue.
Studying in different countries will help her develop her own immunology research team. She wants to focus on basic research for therapeutic purposes in the area of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
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