- 2018
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Press releases - 11.04.2018
Achievements in Innovation: Inserm Sets Itself Apart Once Again Through its Momentum and Results
The respective classifications of the European Patent Office (EPO) and France’s National Industrial Property Institute (INPI), which have just published their annual rankings for 2017, have confirmed Inserm’s ability to innovate. Inserm placed first among patent applicants in the pharmaceutical sector for the second year in a row, yet again leading the rankings of European applicants in this sector, ahead of both industrial manufacturers and academic institutions. Furthermore, the Institute was in 30th place – having moved up five places – in the INPI’s “patents in all fields” ranking, confirming its research teams’ excellence and productivity in innovation.
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Press releases - 10.04.2018
Hepatitis C: a novel point-of-care assay
One of the major challenges identified by the WHO in efforts to eradicate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the diagnosis of chronic cases that are generally asymptomatic. Major progress is required for new diagnostic techniques that can be “decentralized”, in other words accessed by populations and countries with limited resources. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm, in collaboration with the company genedrive, have developed and validated a rapid, reliable, point-of-care HCV assay. This new screening assay means that patients can begin treatment for the disease as soon as they are diagnosed. The results have been published in the journal Gut on April 4th, 2018.
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Press releases - 10.04.2018
Parkinson’s Disease: Acute Risk in Agricultural Areas
À l’occasion de la journée mondiale Parkinson, une étude publiée dans le Bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire (BEH) suggère un risque plus important de développer la maladie chez les personnes qui vivent dans des cantons agricoles.
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What's on? - 10.04.2018
Parkinson’s Disease: Acute Risk in Agricultural Areas
A study published in the Bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire (BEH – Weekly Epidemiology Report) for World Parkinson’s Day suggests that the risk of developing the disease is higher in people who live in farming districts. A national study, published in the BEH devoted to the epidemiology of Parkinson’s disease in France, is researching the incidence of […]
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Press releases - 04.04.2018
Artificial Intelligence to serve health research: Inserm and Owkin join forces
Accelerate artificial intelligence research to benefit health: such is the shared objective underpinning the agreement signed by Inserm and the start-up Owkin, specialized in machine learning applied to biological and medical research. The tools developed by Owkin, combined with the mass of health data either produced or used by Inserm, will lead to the development of disruptive innovations unprecedented in the field of medical and clinical research.
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Press releases - 27.03.2018
Reducing Protein Intake to Fight Tumors More Effectively
What if immune system efficacy against cancerous cells could be reinforced by a diet in which calories are not reduced but nutrients are precisely determined? This what Inserm researchers from Université Côte d’Azur, through a study of the effects of restrictive diets on tumor growth in mice, have been exploring. They have observed that a low-protein diet restricts tumor development by increasing immune response. The findings, to be published in Cell metabolism, have proved promising in understanding anti-tumor immunity in mice and pave the way for new studies in humans.
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Press releases - 23.03.2018
How do we detect danger?
Living beings are able to integrate and identify relevant sensory information, such as smells, sounds or light, in order to regulate how they behave in the presence of potential danger. This is called context discrimination. Inserm researchers based at Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaux have recently discovered which neurons are implicated in this phenomenon and where they are located. Good news for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder in whom context discrimination is disrupted.
This research has been published in Neuron. -
Press releases - 20.03.2018
How allergens trigger asthma attacks
A veritable sensor: a team of Inserm and CNRS researchers at the Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology (IPBS, CNRS/Paul Sabatier University – Toulouse III) has identified a protein that is able to detect various allergens in the respiratory tract, which are responsible for asthma attacks. This study, co-led by Corinne Cayrol and Jean-Philippe Girard, was published in Nature Immunology on March 19, 2018. It offers hope for breakthroughs in the treatment of allergic illnesses.
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Press releases - 14.03.2018
Zika: an accurate estimation of the neurological risks in unborn children
Thanks to a study conducted in pregnant women and their unborn children during the Zika epidemic in the French territories in the Americas, researchers from Inserm, Institut Pasteur and the University Hospital of Guadeloupe have been able to accurately estimate the risk of severe neurological complications in babies. They have also determined that the first trimester of pregnancy is the period which presents the highest risk. While the overall risk is 7%, this rises to 12.7% – i.e. more than 1 in 10 children – if infection occurs during the first 3 months of pregnancy. This research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
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Press releases - 12.03.2018
In the eye of the medulloblastoma
Can genes normally expressed only in the eye be activated in brain tumours?