Two ANSES doctoral students recognised for presentations of their research work
The "ANSES Scientific and Doctoral Days" are an opportunity for the Agency's scientists to get together and discuss their work. They also enable ANSES doctoral students to present their thesis results, through 180-second oral presentations in English for third-year PhD students, and posters in English for second-year students. At the most recent event, held on 2 and 3 October 2024, the presentations given by Kevyn Beissat and Cassandre Jeannot were named "best oral presentation" and "best poster" respectively.
"I'm studying the receptivity and susceptibility
of rats to SARS-CoV-2"
Kevyn Beissat,
PhD student, winner of the best oral presentation
What is your background?
I have a Bachelor's degree in cellular biology and physiology, and a Master's in zoonoses and the environment from the University of Limoges. I am currently doing a PhD at ANSES, in the Surveillance and Eco-epidemiology of Wildlife Unit of the Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife. This thesis is being supervised jointly with VetAgro Sup.
What is your thesis about?
The main aim of my thesis is to study the receptivity and susceptibility of rats to infection by variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Receptivity is the ability to enable the virus to replicate without necessarily developing symptoms, while susceptibility refers to when receptivity is accompanied by clinical signs and/or lesions caused by the virus.
We were interested in this topic because this virus's genome has been detected in wastewater where rats live and move around. Moreover, in the United States, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have been detected in wild rats living in contact with contaminated wastewater. The risk is that rats could become a viral reservoir and/or promote mutations in this virus, which could then reinfect humans.
We therefore conducted a field study to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and other circulating coronaviruses in captured rodents, including rats, in several French cities. At the same time, we carried out viral infection tests on several groups of rats: wild Rattus norvegicus, wild Rattus rattus and two laboratory strains, Wistar and Sprague-Dawley. Molecular modelling calculations were also carried out in order to consolidate our experimental and field results.
My thesis's second objective relates to the development and comparison of biological samples taken from wildlife, with a view to detecting antibodies. This is because in some cases, the absence or small quantity of blood samples can be a limiting factor for detecting antibodies from wildlife samples. I therefore tested and compared several matrices, such as plasma, blood spots on filter paper, heart, spleen, rectal swab and faeces. The ultimate aim here is to find alternatives when blood samples cannot be taken from wildlife, including protected species.
The final objective concerns the isolation of hedgehog coronavirus in cell culture. I am interested in this virus because it is similar to the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which can infect humans.
Do you have any advice on giving a successful oral presentation in 180 seconds?
It was not a simple exercise, but was interesting: it was a chance to work on my ability to sum up information and prepare for future oral presentations. My advice would be to take a step back from your results and select only the most important ones, then take time to prepare your presentation materials and your speech.
"I’m developing methods for analysing as many contaminants and residues in food as possible"
Cassandre Jeannot,
PhD student, winner of the best poster
What is your background?
After a DUT (university technical diploma) and a Bachelor's degree in chemistry at the University of Orléans, I obtained a Master's in analytical chemistry from Nantes University. My thesis is taking place in the Pesticides and Marine Biotoxins Unit of the ANSES Laboratory for Food Safety, supervised jointly with the Laboratory for the Study of Residues and Contaminants in Food (Laberca), a joint research unit of the Oniris Veterinary School and INRAE.
What is your thesis about?
My thesis is aiming to develop analytical methods for testing as many contaminants and residues in food as possible. A large part of the population's chronic exposure to chemical contaminants is via food. We already know about certain contaminants, some of which are regulated, but for thousands of others there are either no methods for detecting them, or we are quite simply unaware of whether they are present in food because they have never been screened for.
The methods developed aim to detect a broad range of chemical compounds and be applicable to a variety of foods. We are focusing particularly on PFAS, pesticides, mycotoxins, alkaloids and medicines.
Our aim is to inform public policymaking on the presence of chemical contaminants and residues. If some are found frequently, it would then be worth calling for them to be screened for more often, in order to gain a better understanding of consumer exposure.
Do you have any advice for PhD students asked to produce posters?
You need to create something that is attractive, with just enough information, but not too much. This means working on your results in a different way: working on the diagrams, the amount of text, the layout, etc. When you see a poster that you like or dislike, try to work out why and remember it. For example, large blocks of text can put you off reading a poster!
The ANSES Scientific and Doctoral Days
The Scientific and Doctoral Days are organised each year by ANSES. They are designed to promote internal exchanges between scientists working in different entities and sometimes on different sites. During these events, doctoral students present their thesis work in English: in the form of posters for second-year students, and three-minute oral presentations for those in their third year. ANSES staff then vote for the best oral presentation and the best poster. Winners receive €500 towards the cost of attending a scientific symposium of their choice.