May Morris was recruited in 2000 by the CNRS as researcher in the “Therapeutic, Medicine, and Bio-engineering” section. She heads the “Molecular interactions and mechanisms regulating the cellular cycle” team, which is part of the Macromolecular Biochemistry Research Center (CRBM) in Montpellier. In 2005, after having obtained certification and licensing to direct research, May Morris put together a team to understand the molecular processes underlying cell division and to map out therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for cell growth. In 2006, she received the CNRS Bronze Medal for the quality of her work on the molecular basis of the mechanisms of the regulation of the cell cycle, and their impact in the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic measures, notably in the treatment of cancer.

The daughter of a researcher and herself the mother of a five-year-old, May Morris has been concerned with opportunities for women in research for a long time and has worked closely with CNRS’s mission for women in the sciences since 2007

The Cycle of a life

May Morris will speak at some length on questions relating to research on cancer and the current treatments. In so doing, she intends to guide us through the world of the cell cycle, the “succession” of events that coordinate the growth of the cell and its division, a biological process that is extremely complex and whose mechanisms of molecular regulation are still poorly represented. Breakdowns in the signaling paths lead to uncontrolled cell growth, one of the main indications of the development of cancer. It is thus vitally important that cellular surveillance mechanisms be able to serve as rigorous checkpoints during cell division in order to prevent cancer.
With her research team, May Morris studies molecular interactions and mechanisms underlying the progression of the cell cycle with two objectives in mind: understanding the molecular basis of cell proliferation and identifying the valuable molecular targets for the development of inhibitors and biosensors associated with therapeutic strategies and original diagnoses.