On behalf of the Board of Directors of the international Cell Death Society (ICDS), it is a great pleasure to present the 2026 ICDS Prize to Professor Catherine Brenner, for her outstanding contributions to field of Cell Death over the past three decades.
It is most fitting to present Professor Brenner the ICDS award in Paris, since she is a native of France, earning her Master’s diploma and PhD at the University of Rennes in Biological Sciences, one of the top public universities in France. After completing two prolific postdoctoral positions in Paris, the first with Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier at the Pasteur institute studying HIV infection and AIDS and the second with Professor Guido Kroemer at the French National Centre for Scientific Research studying mitochondria and cell death, Dr. Brenner established her own independent laboratory at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. She currently holds several senior leadership positions including Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research at the University of Paris Saclay, Gustave Roussy Institute in Villejuif, France where she is currently Director of research overseeing the metabolism and cancer research division.
It was during her postdoctoral work in Paris with Guido Kroemer that Dr. Brenner became interested in cell death, describing early insights into the regulation of cell death by the Bcl-2 family proteins and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, first describing the cooperation between Bax and the Adenine Nucleotide Translocator in mitochondrial apoptosis. Since her early work, Dr. Brenner has led a bold and innovative research program investigating the protein components of the mitochondrial permeability Transition Pore (mPTP) and how mPTP can be targeted for cancer therapeutics, resistant cancer cells, and for cardio protection. Her studies of the role of mitochondria in the metabolic plasticity, drug resistance, and energetic metabolism of Burkitt Lymphoma and osteosarcoma have provided new insights into chromatin dynamics and host-tumor interactions in these and other tumors. Dr. Brenner’s work has provided conceptual insight for how the mitochondria act as a cell death integrator for apoptosis and other cell death modalities; her work is among the most highly cited researchers in mitochondrial biology and programmed cell death.
In addition to her wonderful science, Dr. Brenner has been an active mentor and trained numerous PhD students and postdocs in the fields of mitochondrial biology and cell death. Her many administrative and collaborative activities exemplify her passion and commitment to our field. On behalf of the ICDS and the ICDS Board of Directors, it is our great pleasure to present you the 2026 ICDS Prize for outstanding contributions to Cell Death
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