Recognizing that outstanding, young, independent investigators are the source for future advances in the biomedical sciences and of their need for flexible, unrestricted funding to conduct their research, the Vallee Scholars program makes grants of $400,000 – to be spent over a period of four years – to junior faculty carrying out basic biomedical research.  This award is available only to investigators who have been nominated by institutions that have been selected by the Vallee Foundation Board of Directors. One nomination will be accepted per institution. The candidate must have received his/her PhD, MD, or other professional degree, within twelve years of the application deadline and, by the same date, have been in an independent research position (tenure track or equivalent) for six years or fewer.

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One of the six laureates selected this year was Aude Bernheim, Head of the Molecular diversity of microbes five-year group (G5).

What are the fundamental principles that govern immunity across life ? How do immune systems function at the molecular level, evolve, and how can understanding them lead to new therapies ? These questions drive Aude Bernheim’s research. With her lab, she studies immunity not only for its biomedical relevance—such as predicting immune targets or discovering new antiviral molecules—but also for its role in ecology and evolution. Her work stems from the recent realization that bacteria possess a far more diverse repertoire of immune mechanisms than previously imagined. This diversity challenges the notion that immunity is organized differently across life forms and instead suggests shared logic between bacterial and eukaryotic immunity. With her team, she aims to systematically chart the diversity and function of these microbial immune systems, uncover their evolutionary links to eukaryotic immunity—and harness them to identify novel immune genes across fungi, plant, algae and humans. This cross-domain perspective, termed ancestral immunity, provides a framework to explore what is conserved, what innovates, and how immunity can be both ancient and adaptable.

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