Inserm Newsroom - Press room of the French national institute of health and medical research

Moderate to high primary care activity in France !

The Sentinel network, a collaborative surveillance system developed by Inserm and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), is made up of 1,300 primary care practitioners, and approximately one hundred independent pediatricians, spread over mainland France. The network is coordinated by the “Transmissible Diseases Surveillance and Modeling” team at the Inserm and UPMC Pierre Louis Epidemiology and Public Health Institute (iPLESP), in collaboration with the French National Public Health Agency (ANRS) and Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency). The data are transferred in real time, based on 9 health indicators. Analysis of these data thus makes it possible to estimate the weekly incidence rate for each indicator, and to monitor changes at national level.

Moderate to high primary care activity in France !

The Sentinel network, a collaborative surveillance system developed by Inserm and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), is made up of 1,300 primary care practitioners, and approximately one hundred independent pediatricians, spread over mainland France. The network is coordinated by the “Transmissible Diseases Surveillance and Modeling” team at the Inserm and UPMC Pierre Louis Epidemiology […]

Identification of Early Markers of Neurodegenerative Diseases in At-risk People

A study sponsored by the AP-HP has shown for the first time that asymptomatic individuals who carry the c9orf72 mutation, which means they are at risk of developing frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), experience cognitive, anatomical, and structural changes very early on, before age 40.

The ability to identify these markers before disease symptoms appear is a major discovery, as such markers are crucial in developing therapeutic trials and monitoring their efficacy.

10 Principles for Fighting Climate Change

Since the COP 22, health has been a central topic of discussion. It is within this context, and on the day before the One planet Summit to be held tomorrow in Paris, that 10 principles for protecting respiratory health from climate change were proposed by an ad hoc workgroup from the Environment and Health Committee of the European Respiratory Society. Those principles have just been published in European Respiratory Journal: https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/6/1701912

How Zika virus induces congenital microcephaly

A team of researchers from ZIKAlliance discovers a specific mechanism of the infection

10 Principles for Fighting Climate Change

Since the COP 22, health has been a central topic of discussion. It is within this context, and on the day before the One planet Summit to be held tomorrow in Paris, that 10 principles for protecting respiratory health from climate change were proposed by an ad hoc workgroup from the Environment and Health Committee […]

Claire Giry becomes Deputy Director General of Inserm

She replaces Thierry Damerval, who has been appointed Chairman and CEO of the French National Research Agency (ANR).

Thierry Damerval is moving on to a new role after 10 years with Inserm’s Directorate General.

Thierry Damerval was appointed President and CEO of the French National Research Agency (ANR) by presidential decree on December 8, 2017, having been proposed for the role by the Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

Combining Administration Routes for Tailor-made Vaccination

Combining multiple vaccine administration routes achieves a better immune response. This is the finding of a recent study conducted as part of the European CUT’HIVAC project, coordinated by Béhazine Combadière, Inserm Research Director at the Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (CIMI-Paris, Inserm/Université Pierre et Marie Curie/ CNRS). This research opens new perspectives for “personalized” vaccination in which the immune system’s response to infection can be adapted. This research, performed as part of a candidate DNA vaccine against HIV, was published in Scientific Reports in October 2017.

What if meditation allowed us to age better?

And what if meditation enhanced the aging process? This is suggested by the results of a pilot study, conducted by Inserm researchers based in Caen and Lyon. 73 individuals, with an average age of 65 years, underwent brain imaging tests. Among these individuals, “meditation experts” (with 15,000 to 30,000 hours of meditation to their name) showed significant differences in certain regions of the brain. By reducing stress, anxiety, negative emotions and sleep problems, which tend to become more pronounced with age, meditation could reduce the harmful effects arising from these factors and have a positive effect on brain aging.