Flavie Coquel, for women and science

Defeating cancer. That, in a nutshell, is the new goal that Flavie Coquel set for herself a few months ago. At the time, the doctoral student from Artois was working atthe IGH on DNA replication, the process that allows two identical DNA molecules to be obtained from a single cell. Under the supervision of Philippe Pasero and Yea-Lih Lin, Flavie discovered that DNA has the ability to extract itself from the nucleus of a cell and, more importantly, that this process triggers an automatic response from the immune system. "As demonstrated by the 2018 Nobel Prize winners in medicine, the immune system can play a role in the treatment of cancerous tumors," explains the young woman, whose discovery was quickly hailed by the scientific community—precisely for its therapeutic potential—and was the subject of a noteworthy publication in the journal Nature in April.

L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship

In early October, Flavie Coquel was awarded the prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2018 (see box) alongside Camille Scalliet , a doctoral student at the Charles Coulomb Laboratory in Montpellier, and 18 other French researchers. Flavie hopes to use the €15,000 grant to contribute, through her future research, to improving immunotherapy techniques, i.e., the treatment of cancer and other autoimmune diseases by forcibly activating the immune system.

Born in Metz-en-Couture (62), the daughter of a medical secretary and a farmer, Flavie Coquel enrolled in a prestigious engineering school after graduating from high school with honors in science. "It was later on, around the age of 17 or 18, that I developed an interest in science and felt the need to pursue a career with strong practical applications, " explains the young woman, who is currently completing a thesis in biology atthe IGH, where she is struck by the scarcity of women, as in other areas of scientific research. With a happy event expected in the spring and a post-doc in Switzerland starting in September on the horizon for this bubbly young woman, Flavie Coquel says she is very proud of the award she has received from the L'Oréal Foundation. An award that, much more than a sum of money, has above all given her self-confidence.

The L'Oréal-UNESCO Award

The L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" Award promotes the role of women in scientific research. Created in 1998, it is awarded annually by the L'Oréal Foundation to young female researchers who have contributed to the advancement of science through the excellence of their research work.

In 2018, 30 French female laureates were awarded research grants ranging from €15,000 to €20,000 by a jury composed of members ofthe Academy of Sciences and high-ranking scientific experts.

[1] James Allison and Tasuku Hon