Award Spotlight: Odette Rouanet Prize – FRM

Clara Castelli, a doctoral candidate at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC – Inserm U970 / Université Paris Cité), has been named the 2025 Laureate of the Odette Rouanet Prize by the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM).

Working under the supervision of Jean-Sébastien Hulot, co-lead of the “Integrative Physiopathology and Therapy of Cardiac Diseases” team, Clara is conducting vital research into the mechanisms of primary restrictive cardiomyopathy—a rare genetic disorder that leads to heart failure.

Deciphering Rare Genetic Mechanisms

Her thesis focuses on understanding how mutations in the Filamin-C (FLNC) gene cause cardiac relaxation defects. While Filamin-C is known to be essential for the stability and architecture of heart muscle units, its precise functional role in heart failure remains a mystery.

Innovation via Patient-Specific Stem Cells

To study these mutations, Clara utilizes Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) technology:

• Patient-derived: Cells are collected from the blood of patients carrying the mutation.
• Reprogramming: These cells are reverted to a stem cell state and then “re-programmed” into cardiac muscle cells.
• Custom Modeling: This creates a tailored, patient-specific heart muscle model in a dish, allowing for precise analysis of the mutation’s consequences.

Looking Toward Future Therapies

The fundamental insights gained from Clara’s work are expected to serve as the cornerstone for developing innovative therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from this rare condition.