[LUM#9] Meeting with interferon
Virologist at the Montpellier Infectious Diseases Research Institute (IRIM), Caroline Goujon has been leading a research team on interferon since 2015. Interferon is a molecule secreted by our cells that is essential for resistance to pathogens, but whose function remains poorly understood.
Her story with interferon began almost ten years ago in the UK. Caroline Goujon was a post-doctoral student at the time, following an exemplary, almost romantic, career path that took her from a BTS to theCochin Institute. There, she rubbed shoulders with " passionate lecturers who loved to pass on their knowledge and really put me on the right track ". The following year, she entered the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon, before heading for England.
Fascinated by viruses and " their ability to hijack the cell's entire machinery for their own benefit ", she specialized in HIV, until an unexpected encounter: " I stumbled across some fascinating data while doing some experiments. That's when I became interested in the effect of interferon on host cells.
Random experiments
Back in France, seven years later, she was awarded a research fellowship, obtained funding for young researchers and set up her own interferon team. It has to be said that interferon has everything to fascinate. A natural anti-viral, this molecule secreted by our cells has the incredible power to protect us against viruses and bacteria, without the need for antibodies. How does it work?
Produced by the cell when a pathogen intrudes, interferon binds to the cell's surface and those of surrounding cells, emitting an alarm signal that triggers genetic reprogramming in each of them. " These cells exposed to interferon will express around a hundred genes, a handful of which will code for proteins capable of fighting the infection ", stresses the biologist.
A race against time
Here's the theory: " In real life, it's a race against time," explains Caroline Goujon. A virus like the flu multiplies very quickly. Interferon helps limit its spread, but it's not enough. As a result, we get sick.
Hence the scientists' interest in " identifying this handful of genes capable of inhibiting virus replication ", in order to better understand how they work. With the " distant hope " of opening the way to new therapies. In the " very special atmosphere [of her] confined laboratory, and the much-appreciated calm " of a tête-à-tête between virus and interferon, the researcher knows: " Potentially, the solution is within us."
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