Kristell Mimoun has been a PhD student at Liryc since 2023.
Kristell, what is your thesis about?
The aim of my thesis is to study the role of the conduction system in sudden cardiac death. Sudden cardiac death is responsible for 50,000 deaths a year in France. In the majority of cases, sudden death follows ventricular fibrillation, characterised by rapid and irregular cardiac electrical activity. The ventricular conduction system, in particular the Purkinje fibres, can be involved in the formation of ventricular fibrillation.
However, the electrophysiological mechanisms leading to the development of these arrhythmias in Purkinje fibres are still unknown. The aim of my thesis is therefore to study the electrophysiological properties of Purkinje fibres in healthy and pathological models using two leading electrophysiology techniques: patch clamp and optical mapping. At the cellular level, patch clamping is used to characterise ionic currents and the resulting action potentials (Editor’s note: The action potential corresponds to a rapid increase in membrane potential followed by a drop back to a resting state). Optical mapping is a technique for studying the propagation of electrical signals within cardiac tissue. The combination of these two techniques makes it possible to identify new anti-arrhythmic targets.
Have you always wanted to do research?
When I was in high school, the famous and dreaded question of my professional orientation came up. When I took the time to think about what I liked doing and what I’d like to do in the longer term, science came first. As my career progressed, my various internships in research laboratories and the exchanges I had with lecturers and scientists, doctoral students and other research professionals reinforced my choice of career path, right up to my thesis.
Would you have any advice for young people wanting to get into research?
The best way to discover the world of research is to visit a laboratory. From undergraduate level onwards, students can take part in 7- to 15-day work placements to find out about the research environment, life in the laboratory, the different subjects studied, and so on. Each laboratory may have a specific theme, but there are a huge number of projects that can result from this, and consequently a huge range of techniques, knowledge and know-how.
To apply, you can send cover letters and CVs to the lecturers giving the courses. You should not hesitate to show your motivation and interest in research by going to see them directly after the course. They may be able to provide information, contacts or addresses to guide or recommend your application.
Alternatively, you can always look at the list of research laboratories and apply to those that correspond most closely to the career path you are planning or that have aroused your interest. This list can be found on the academic or university websites.
One final point: public events such as science fairs and open house days are also a good way of making direct contact with researchers, engineers and laboratory technicians.
Do you have any sources of inspiration?
My source of inspiration is not scientific but musical. I greatly admire a brilliant Franco-Serbian violinist, Nemanja Radulović, who stands out not only for his originality, but also for his joy in sharing his passion. And that’s also what I aim for in my work as a scientist: to enjoy learning and sharing this knowledge.
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If you were a scientific technique, which would you be and why?
In a very biased way, I answer the patch clamp, because it taught me to persevere on a daily basis to see a project through to the end.