Neurobiologist and stem cell biologist Prof. Fiona Doetsch has been awarded the 2026 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine. She receives the prize for her pioneering work uncovering the identity and functions of neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain and how they contribute to lifelong brain adaptation. Her research demonstrated that these cells retain the ability to dynamically generate new neurons and glial cells in response to internal and external cues, revealing a new level of brain plasticity. The prize, dedicated to supporting future research, is endowed with 500,000 Swiss francs.
Fiona Doetsch’s work: revealing stem cells’ role in adult brain plasticity
For many years, it was believed that mammals ceased producing neurons shortly after birth. Doetsch’s work identified the neural stem cells that persist in adult mammalian brains, and how they are dynamically orchestrated in response to changing physiological states and signals. These discoveries reveal new roles for stem cells in brain plasticity and behaviour.
Most stem cells in the adult brain are quiescent – not dividing – but are constantly “listening” for signals from their environment. Doetsch’s research group has uncovered networks of signals that precisely govern adult neural stem cells. These include molecular pathways within the stem cells themselves, as well as external cues from blood vessels, the cerebrospinal fluid and even neural circuits located far from the stem cells. Strikingly, distinct pools of stem cells are selectively activated in different contexts, for example during pregnancy, in hunger or satiety, or in response to tissue damage, with each stem cell pool producing a specific set of neurons or glia, enabling tailored brain remodelling. Her discoveries fundamentally reshape how adult brain plasticity is understood, which has important implications for both biology and medicine, including brain repair and regeneration.
Fiona Doetsch
Fiona Doetsch obtained her Bachelor’s at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and her PhD at Rockefeller University in New York City, USA. She was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University and a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies before joining Columbia University as faculty in 2003. In 2014, she moved to Switzerland and joined the Biozentrum, University of Basel, where she is professor of Molecular Stem Cell Biology.
The Louis-Jeantet Prizes for Medicine
The Louis-Jeantet Foundation annually honours two leading researchers working in Europe: the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine for outstanding biomedical research, and the Collen-Jeantet Prize for Translational Medicine for breakthroughs close to clinical application, awarded this year to Yasmine Belkaid at the Institut Pasteur. Each prize includes 500,000 Swiss francs to advance the awardees’ research.
Created in 1986, the prizes count more than 100 laureates, including several future Nobel Prize winners. The Foundation, based in Geneva, supports excellence in European biomedical science. The award ceremony will be held in Geneva on Wednesday, 22 April 2026.
Media inquiries:
Fiona Doetsch, fiona.doetschunibasch
Louis-Jeantet Foundation
Gisou van der Goot, Secretary of the Scientific Committee of the Louis-Jeantet Foundation
Tel: + 41 (0)21 693 14 82
vandergootjeantetch
www.jeantet.ch/en/
Contact: Biozentrum Communications, Livio Stöckli