Discover the interview of a researcher who on tauopathies! Funded in 2023 by the Foundation Vain Alzheimer, Yann Fichou devotes his work to the tauopathies, a group of neurocognitive diseases, whose Alzheimer’s disease is part. In this interview, he returns to his career, his daily life and his passion for research, with the desire to transmit to the general public a human and realistic vision of the researcher.
Foundation Vaining Alzheimer (FVA): How would you describe your job to someone who does not know him?
Dr. Fichou: The profession of researcher is a deeply exciting job. It is based on questioning: we wonder about the natural phenomena that surround us, whether it be the functioning of the human body, plants, animals, or even the universe. Thanks to a scientific approach, we try to respond to what is still unknown. And this quest for understanding makes every day different and stimulating.
FVA: Do you have an image in mind to explain your work as a researcher who studies tauopathies, to the people who will read this interview?
Dr. Fichou: I like to compare the human body to a black box filled with gears. You can’t open it, and there are so many mechanisms inside that it is difficult to guess how it works. The researcher is the one who tries, through advanced methods, to understand piece by piece which is happening in this box. This not only makes it possible to better understand the normal functioning of the body, but also what is disturbed in certain diseases.
FVA: What recent discovery particularly marked you?
Dr. Fichou: A discovery of the end of the 2010s deeply marked me. In tauopathies, we find the same protein: the tau protein. For a long time, it was thought that it formed identical aggregates in all these diseases. However, we discovered that this same protein adopts different structures according to the disease concerned. This advance is important because it completely changes our approach to diagnosis and treatments.
FVA: What do people know about your daily lifeguard?
Dr. Fichou: We often imagine the researcher only having experiences or thinking about his hypotheses. But a large part of our time is devoted to the search for funding. You must respond to calls for projects, set up files, manage the administrative aspect. It is a very important part of our profession, even if it is less known.
FVA: What would have been your job if you hadn’t been a researcher?
Dr. Fichou: At the start, I hesitated between two ways: becoming a doctor or pianist. Finally, it was science that won. Today, I do not regret this choice. It is a job in which we constantly learn, we doubt, we advance, and we constantly question ourselves.
FVA: Do you have passions outside your work?
Dr. Fichou: Yes, several. I practice diving, I like to explore the seabed. I also do dance. And then, I have a routine that I particularly appreciate: I take the train every morning at 7:42 am. It has become a real transition between my personal life and my work, almost an extension of my office.
FVA: If you could spend an evening with a scientific figure, who would you choose?
Dr. Fichou: I would choose Richard Feynman. He was an exceptional physicist, but also a brilliant popularizer. He had this ability to explain very complex things with passion and simplicity. I would have liked to exchange with him on his vision of the world and the importance of remaining curious and enthusiastic.
FVA: What message do you want to transmit to future researchers?
Dr. Fichou: I would like to tell them that you have to stay optimistic. It is not a long, quiet river to arrive at an established researcher position. There are disappointments, dead ends, moments of doubt. But we must keep faith in what we do, to believe that this work is useful to society, and above all, never lose sight of the meaning of this profession: to better understand the world to better treat it and preserve it.
The Alzheimer’s Watching Foundation thanks Dr. Yann Fichou, a researcher who works on tauopathies, for this exclusive interview!
