Rebekka Wild is a team leader at the Institut de Biologie Sructurale IBS in Grenoble. Her work focuses on the molecular complexes responsible for the production of two glycosaminoglycans, complex chains of sugars involved in a wide variety of functions and diseases. By studying the three-dimensional structure of proteins, his work aims to better understand the biosynthesis of these long sugars chains. Glycosaminoglycans are located at the interface between the cell and the external environment, and are therefore strategically positioned to regulate a variety of biological and pathological processes, including cell-cell communication, signaling, cell-matrix interactions and pathogenic infections.
The findingd will help to develop drugs that modify the structure of these long sugars chains and thus protect cells against viral infections or cancer.
Each year, Impulscience® awards 7 new grants to researchers in life sciences. The Foundation provides up to 2.3 million euros for each project, including management costs and a personal bonus for the researcher, over a period of 5 years.
The selection process is carried out by the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller's scientific committee.