The Collège de France is delighted with the success of Anne-Cécile Boulay, winner of the Jeunes Talents France Pour les Femmes et la Science 2019 prize.
Anne-Cécile is a postdoctoral fellow in Martine Cohen-Salmon's team at CIRB (Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology), a Collège de France / CNRS /INSERM unit
©L'Oréal Foundation / Jean-Charles Caslot
Guided by a desire to understand how cell specialization and cell-cell interactions condition the functioning of an organ or organism, Anne-Cécile Boulay is studying the brain in particular, and in particular a structure known as the "glial-vascular unit" (GVU). The proper functioning of the brain is ensured by a multitude of cells - neurons, of course, but also so-called "glial" cells, including "astrocytes", of particular interest to the biologist. These cells interact with the brain's blood vessels and neurons to form the UGV. This interface, or blood-brain barrier, facilitates the passage of essential nutrients, while preventing pathogens from reaching our precious gray matter. As a result, these functions are almost systematically impaired in the case of cerebral pathologies, which also affect astrocytes.
