Yéter Kara, 1st prize of the MT180 2024 regional jury

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare and little-studied disease

After completing a degree in neuroscience at Aix-Marseille Université, Yéter joined the Biology-Health master's program at the Faculty of Medical and Paramedical Sciences to focus on human pathologies. It was during her M2 internship that she discovered for the first time the pathology that would become the subject of her thesis: thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare and as yet little-studied disease. TTP is a serious disorder in which small blood clots form throughout the body, obstructing the flow of blood to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys. Symptoms are related to where the blood clots form.

These blood clots are caused by the accumulation of an agent responsible for coagulation: the von Willebrand factor. The factor is usually cut regularly by "scissors" to prevent accumulation: an enzyme called ADAMTS13. Patients with TTP have an inactive enzyme, resulting in clots. They often suffer strokes or infarctions, without immediate hospital care. 

At present, the origin of the attacks is unknown. Yéter's aim: to understand the pathology and, above all, to try to prevent the attacks or at least find a treatment. To achieve this, she had an idea: to study AhR, a transcription factor that is highly conserved between species, and therefore observable in mice, for example. It has already been shown that AhR plays a protective role against malaria. What do the two diseases have in common? Patients develop anemia following the destruction of their red blood cells. The iron thus released activates AhR, which reacts to it as if it were an environmental pollutant.

A motto of self-mockery and the desire to defend a cause

The three minutes she spends on stage are all about the way she thinks about her previous observations. It's a highly theatrical presentation, all about the interplay of personalities: Yéter the scientist, but also her conscience on the subject of animal experimentation, and the desire to win a Nobel Prize for a revolutionary discovery! However, it wasn't drama classes that inspired Yéter, but eloquence competitions. Competitions she started in high school, with the watchwords of self-mockery and the desire to defend a cause. Slam, poetry, pathos... As the competitions progressed, she took to the game of being in the spotlight. So it was only natural for her to try her hand at MT180 during her thesis, having followed the competition from afar since her undergraduate days.

A winning mentality

From the very first day of training, Yéter's ambition was clear: she was here to win! A mentality that comes from her years of taekwondo, where it's forbidden to enter combat thinking you will lose. Her formula for success? Work by constantly pushing your limits and forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. The proof is in the evolution of her performance over the course of sixty hours of rehearsals, most of which were spent with Alexandra Bessenay, another contestant. From an initial slam proposal on Jul, to the addition of more background, she decided to rely on her experience of eloquence with a return to self-mockery and denunciation. Yéter's performance brought to light themes rarely addressed by doctoral students in this context: questions about animal experimentation and the failures encountered on the road to discovery. These choices won over the jury, as well as the audience at the regional final on February 23, when she took first prize and the audience Prize!

We wish her every success at the national semi-final from March 28 to 30, 2024 in Paris!