May 21, 2021
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Two Institut Pasteur scientists recognized with awards
- French Society for Cell Biology – 2021 Young Researcher Award
Each year the French Society for Cell Biology (SBCF) helps to promote the field of cell biology by presenting an award to a young researcher working within the discipline. The award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement and cell biology research, and the winner receives a grant of €5,000.
This year, Léo Valon, a post-doctoral fellow in the Cell Death and Epithelial Homeostasis five-year group led by Romain Levayer, received the prize for his scientific research. The focus of his work was the in vitro study of cell migration and the cell response to rapid variations in force via optogenetic disruption. He is currently carrying out in vivo research into the link between mechanics and programmed cell death in a physiological and pathological context in the Institut Pasteur's Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology.
- Fondation NRJ – 2021 Scientific Grand Prize
The Fondation NRJ-Institut de France was founded in 1999 on the initiative of Jean-Paul Baudecroux, CEO of NRJ Group, to support medical research, especially in the field of neuroscience. Each year the foundation awards a scientific prize worth €150,000 to recognize and encourage a French or European team, working at a public or private institution, which has acquired an international reputation in the field of neuroscience. It also distributes five €60,000 grants each year to newly created teams working in France. The theme of the 2021 call for applications was "The pathophysiology of nervous system infections."
This year the prize went to Guillaume Dumenil, Inserm Director of Research and Head of the Pathogenesis of Vascular Infections Unit at the Institut Pasteur, for his research on infections caused by meningococci, pathogenic gram-negative bacteria responsible for meningitis and septic shock, typically purpura fulminans. Guillaume Dumenil employs a multidisciplinary approach combining microbiology, biochemistry, cell biology, vascular biology, immunology and physics to explore the mechanisms underpinning these infections. This use of a combined approach to address a specific biomedical problem is characteristic of his work and results in original scientific contributions that foster links between different disciplines.