Meeting with Maud Free, passionate researcher who studies the brain immune system
Discover the interview with Dr. Maud Freeze who studies the brain’s immune system as part of Alzheimer’s disease. The Foundation defeated Alzheimer supports promising researchers every year. In 2025, Dr. Maud Freezed obtained funding for his work on the brain’s immune system. Based in Marseille, she shares here her vision of the profession of researcher and her daily commitment.
Foundation Vaining Alzheimer (FVA): What made you want to become a researcher?
Maud free: I would say it’s curiosity. I was looking for a job in which I don’t bother. And scientific research is exactly that. We never do the same. I have always liked to understand the functioning of the human body. The brain, still very mysterious today, immediately fascinated me.
FVA: Can you tell us about your project on the brain’s immune system?
Maud Free: I work on the brain’s immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. We try to understand why there is a loss of neurons in the sick brain. Is it due to protein aggregations? Or an excess of activity of immune cells? Our goal is to better understand the mechanisms that cause the disease.
FVA: What discovery recently marked you?
Maud Free: the discovery of CRISPR-CAS9, it is a genetic modification tool, kinds of scissors that can cut DNA and modify it to any place. It opens the way to innovative treatments. Even if all cases of Alzheimer’s disease are not only of genetic origin, this tool could one day allow to modify this genetic predisposition. It is an exciting subject but also very delicate ethically.
FVA: What is the most surprising aspect of your job?
Maud free: this is the place occupied by the administrative. We spend a lot of time looking for funding for our research, setting up files. Finally, we sometimes do less science than what we imagined at the start.
FVA: What are you doing when you don’t work in the laboratory?
Maud free: I really like spending time outdoors. Being in Marseille is a real chance. I appreciate the moments with my loved ones. And also small routines like morning coffee and moments of conviviality shared with the team after a long day.
FVA: What personality would you like to meet?
Maud Free: Aloïs Alzheimer. He described the disease in 1907 with impressive precision, despite the limited means of his time. It would be exciting to chat with him.
FVA: What message would you like to send to young people from Sciences?
Maud Free: The profession of researcher requires a lot of passion. It is not a long, quiet river. There are failures, a lot of perseverance. But I would not change my job for nothing in the world. It is extraordinary to explore what we still do not know, especially by working on the immune system of the brain.
