Virginie Marcel
Marianne Grunberg-Manago award winner 2026
Profile
Virginie Marcel is a Research Director at INSERM and will lead the “Epitranscriptomics of Ribosome and Cancer” team starting in January 2027 at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL).
Virginie Marcel is a molecular biologist who completed her PhD thesis in the team led by Prof. Pierre Hainaut. Following a first postdoctoral fellowship in Scotland, she joined the Centre Léon Bérard in Lyon as a postdoctoral researcher to pursue her work on tumor biology and cancer molecular genetics.
After being recruited by INSERM, she dedicated her research to understanding the role of ribosome biogenesis alterations and translational regulation in tumor progression and treatment resistance. Her work notably demonstrated that there is not a single type of ribosome, but rather a heterogeneity of ribosomes whose composition – particularly the 2′-O-methylation of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) – is altered in cancer cells. This conceptual and experimental framework enabled her to show how these epitranscriptomic modifications and distinct ribosomes control the translation of specific mRNAs involved in cell plasticity, particularly during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Among her major contributions are highlighting the role of rRNA methylation in the tumor cell phenotype, characterizing the impact of chemotherapies and targeted therapies on ribosome biogenesis and function, and discovering the key role of these ribosomal alterations in metastasis emergence and drug resistance. These advances pave the way for using ribosome composition as a prognostic biomarker and developing novel therapeutic strategies specifically targeting these altered ribosomes.
Her research has earned her national and international recognition, reflected in numerous publications in prestigious scientific journals and the co-organization of excellence research programs, particularly within the framework of the SIRIC LYRICAN+ initiative, where she co-leads focus areas dedicated to the molecular characterizations of tumors and their roles in tumor progression. In addition to her fundamental and translational research activities, Virginie Marcel is actively involved in scientific outreach and raising public awareness about the challenges of oncology research.
The latest winners
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EMBL, Grenoble
Robine Maffo Woulefack
Sciences and Technologies Faculty,Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy
Alexia Godet
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Nour Ayoub
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Weill Cornell Medicine – New York City, USA
“Article of the month” award September 2026
Anaïs Astier
Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI) – Toulouse
“Article of the month” award June 2026
Hugo Millat
IBCP – Lyon
“Article of the month” award June 2026
Maximilian Kohl
IBMC (CNRS/Strasbourg University) – Strasbourg
“Article of the month” award May 2026
Julius Martinkus
LISM (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université)
“Article of the month” award April 2026
Serhii Pankivskyi
SABNP laboratory (Université Évry Paris-Saclay)
“Article of the month” award March 2026
Safa Boussouar
Bioenergetics and Protein Engineering (BIP) laboratory, Marseille
“Article of the month” award February 2026
Morgane Roger-Margueritat
TIMC laboratory, Grenoble
“Article of the month” award January 2026
Léa Prochasson and Makram Mghezzi-Habellah
Curie Institute and Sorbonne University, Paris
“Article of the month”award December 2025
Maëliss Germain
Rennes University, BRM Lab. (Bacterial RNAs in Medicine)
“Article of the Month” November 2025
Olga Kolosova
IGBMC, Strasbourg
“Article of the Month” award October 2025
Mélisse Hamidi
Institute of Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, Lyon
“Article of the Month” award September 2025
Zhao Jiangfeng
EMBL, Grenoble
“Article of the Month” award July and August 2025
Robine Maffo Woulefack
Sciences and Technologies Faculty,Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy
“Article of the Month” award June 2025
Alexia Godet
Université d’Aarthus, Danemark
“Article of the month” May 2025
Veronica Nuccetteli et Makram Mghezzi
Biology et Cell Modelisation Lab., ENS, Lyon and IBCP, Lyon
“Article of the Month” award April 2025
Akandé Eyitayo
IBGC, CNRS, Bordeaux University
“Article of the month” March 2025
Markel Martinez-Carranza
Pasteur Institute, Paris
“Article of the Month” award February 2025
“Article of the Year” award 2025
Nour Ayoub
Institut Pasteur Paris, UPCité and INSERM UMRS-1124, Paris
“Article of the Month” award January 2025
Claire Husser
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Mickaël Guérin
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Aria Gheeraeart
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Pauline Herviou
Institut Beatson, Glasgow
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Florent Waltz
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Juliette Fédry
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Clément Charenton
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Mickaël Guérin
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Dina Surdin award winner 2025
Aria Gheeraeart
INSERM, Paris
Dina Surdin award 2024
Pauline Herviou
Institut Beatson, Glasgow
Dina Surdin award 2023
Charbel Alfeghali
Laboratoire d’Ingénierie Moléculaire et Physiopathologie Articulaire (IMoPA), Nancy
Dina Surdin award 2022
Yoann Santin
Institut de Duve, Bruxelles
Dina Surdin award 2021
Florent Waltz
Université de Strasbourg
Dina Surdin award 2020
Juliette Fédry
Institut Pasteur, Paris
Dina Surdin award 2019
Clément Charenton
École Polytechnique, Palaiseau
Dina Surdin award 2018
Thomas Eychenne
CEA, Saclay
Dina Surdin award 2017
Apply for the Dina Surdin Award
Applications must be submitted in March. The exact deadline is announced each year by email.
Documents to be submitted:
Downloadable application guidelines document below, thesis manuscript, examiners’ reports, and a one-page CV (maximum).
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Virginie Marcel
UMR INSERM 1052, Cancérologies Research Center, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon
Pascale Romby
CNRS, UPR 9002, ARN “RNA Architecture and Reactivity”, IBMC, Strasbourg
Pascale Lesage
CNRS et équipe de Biologie de l’instabilité des génomes, Paris
Carine Tisné
IBPC, Paris
Virginie Marcel
UMR INSERM 1052, Cancérologies Research Center, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon
Marianne Grunberg-Manago award 2026
Pascale Romby
CNRS, UPR 9002, ARN “RNA Architecture and Reactivity”, IBMC, Strasbourg
Marianne Grunberg-Manago award 2025
Pascale Lesage
CNRS et équipe de Biologie de l’instabilité des génomes, Paris
Marianne Grunberg-Manago award 2024
Carine Tisné
IBPC, Paris
Marianne Grunberg-Manago award 2023
Apply for the Marianne Grunberg-Manago Award
Applications must be submitted by email to martin.picard@ibpc.fr as a single PDF. The exact deadline will be announced annually via email.
Required Documents: a cover letter, a full CV with a complete list of publications, and a description of the candidate’s achievements, as described in the downloadable application guidelines below, together with a condensed two-page version of the CV.
Any application received after the specified deadline will not be considered.
Etienne BLANC
Institute for Research in Health, Environment and Work – INSERM UMRS 1035 – Rennes
Laure-Emmanuelle Zaragosi
Inserm, IPMC, Sophia-Antipolis
Maxime Wery
Institut Curie, Paris
Tamara Basta-Le-Berre
CNRS, UMR9198, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette
Ludovic Pelosi
Laboratoire UGA (Groupe Quinones Respiratoires), Grenoble
Cyril Bourgeois
ENS, Lyon
Célia Plisson-Chastang
CNRS, UMR 5099, Toulouse
Odil Porrua
CNRS, UMR7592 (Institut Jacques Monod), Paris
Hervé Seitz
CNRS, UMR 9002 (Institut de génétique humaine), Montpellier
Michaël Ryckelynck
Biologie Digitale de l’ARN, UPR 9002, Architecture et réactivité de l’ARN, IBMC, Strasbourg.
Martin PICARD
CNRS UMR 7099, Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-chimique des protéines membranaires, IBPC
Etienne BLANC
Institute for Research in Health, Environment and Work – INSERM UMRS 1035 – Rennes
Maurice Nicloux Award 2026
Laure-Emmanuelle Zaragosi
Inserm, IPMC, Sophia-Antipolis
Maurice Nicloux Award 2025
Maxime Wery
Institut Curie, Paris
Maurice Nicloux award 2024
Tamara Basta-Le-Berre
CNRS, UMR9198, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette
Maurice Nicloux award 2023
Ludovic Pelosi
Laboratoire UGA (Groupe Quinones Respiratoires), Grenoble
Maurice Nicloux award 2022
Cyril Bourgeois
ENS, Lyon
Maurice Nicloux award 2021
Célia Plisson-Chastang
CNRS, UMR 5099, Toulouse
Maurice Nicloux award 2020
Odil Porrua
CNRS, UMR7592 (Institut Jacques Monod), Paris
Maurice Nicloux award 2019
Hervé Seitz
CNRS, UMR 9002 (Institut de génétique humaine), Montpellier
Maurice Nicloux award 2018
Michaël Ryckelynck
Biologie Digitale de l’ARN, UPR 9002, Architecture et réactivité de l’ARN, IBMC, Strasbourg.
Maurice Nicloux award 2017
Martin PICARD
CNRS UMR 7099, Laboratoire de Biologie Physico-chimique des protéines membranaires, IBPC
Maurice Nicloux award 2016
Apply for the Maurice Nicloux Award
Applications must be submitted by March of each year. The exact deadline will be announced annually via email.
Required Documents:
Updated CV with a summary of the candidate’s work and publications, formatted according to the downloadable application guidelines below, together with a condensed two-page version.
Any application received after the specified deadline will not be considered.
Our scientific awards
“Article of the Month” award
Honors a young researcher for a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Dina Surdin award
Rewards a young researcher for an outstanding PhD thesis in biochemistry or molecular biology.
Marianne Grunberg-Manago Award
Honors a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to public research, recognized for the significance of her work and her impact in her scientific field.
Maurice Nicloux award
Honors an established researcher for their overall contribution to the scientific community and to research in biochemistry or molecular biology.
