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World Asthma Day

Tuesday May 1 is World Asthma Day – a day to educate and raise public awareness to improve the diagnosis and treatment of asthma.

Asthma is a respiratory disease that can be brought on by pollution, various allergies or genetic predisposition. It affects 9% of children, and those under the age of 15 account for over 65% of hospitalizations for the condition. Asthma remains under-diagnosed and insufficiently treated. Although often trivialized, it is responsible for 900 deaths per year in France.

During an attack, the walls of the airways swell, which causes them to narrow and make breathing difficult. These symptoms can also occur with physical effort or strong emotions such as anger or fear.

Recently, a team from Inserm and the CNRS has demonstrated that allergic asthma is triggered by the hyperactivity of a protein called interleukin 33. Being able to block this mechanism would therefore make it possible to develop new treatments.

Committed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of this chronic disease, Inserm researchers are available to answer your questions – particularly regarding its risk factors, development and existing treatments.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018: World Malaria Day

Caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is transmitted to humans through bites from the female Anopheles mosquito. It can also be transmitted via blood transfusion or from mother to child at the end of pregnancy. [1]

In 2016, the number of deaths caused by malaria was estimated at 445,000. Half of the world’s population is exposed to the risk of developing this disease [2], hence the need to act.

It is precisely in order to raise public awareness of the disease and increase its involvement in fighting it that World Malaria Day is held each year on April 25.

This year’s theme, “Ready to Beat Malaria”, was the ideal opportunity to highlight the work of researchers who strive all year round to combat this disease.

The work of Inserm Research Director Françoise Benoit-Vical and her team at the CNRS Coordination Chemistry laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms of Plasmodium resistance to artemisinin, the essential compound of antimalarial treatments, and conducting research into new antimalarial drugs. They recently demonstrated that the parasites resistant to this drug category are also resistant to many of the other antimalarials, including compounds with a hybrid chemical structure initially designed to avoid any resistance.  These results raise fears of a generalized cross resistance of the parasite leading to a genuine therapeutic deadlock.

Inserm unit U1257 “Mosquito immune responses”, led by Stéphanie Blandin, seeks to understand how mosquitoes defend themselves against the parasites in order to use this anti-parasitic response to combat the transmission of malaria.

With this in mind, the laboratory is currently working on the development of two new antimalarial molecules to produce drugs that prevent transmission. This represents a critical challenge in the fight against malaria because very few existing drugs are able to eliminate the forms of the parasite transmissible to mosquitoes. As a consequence, even an individual cured of malaria may store these transmissible forms in the blood for one or two weeks – parasites which are likely to be ingested by a mosquito during a blood meal and then be passed on to someone else.

 

[1] For more details, see the WHO page dedicated to World Malaria Day

[2] For more details, see the Inserm report on this topic

Immunization Week 2018

The thirteenth annual World Immunization Week will take place from April 23 to 29, 2018. The campaign, created by the World Health Organization (WHO), undertakes to raise awareness about the stakes of vaccine protection.

This year, WHO is focusing on the importance of immunizing every child to “prevent the relevant diseases and protect their lives.”

The theme of the French version of this event, coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Santé Publique France, will be infant immunization. It will be a chance to continue teaching people about immunization in the context of the extension of vaccination requirements for children under age two, which entered into force in France on January 1, 2018.

The aim of the week is to increase understanding about what immunization is while reminding people that it is the best way to prevent certain illnesses.

Read the Inserm report that reviews the scientific knowledge relating to vaccination.

Read our other content about immunization:

Combining Administration Routes for Tailor-made Vaccination

Vaccines: Good News for Our Children!

What does science say about the eleven vaccines that will be mandatory for all children in France starting in 2018?

The event’s website: http://www.semaine-vaccination.fr/

Site on immunization written for the general public: http://www.vaccination-info-service.fr/

The Ministry’s vaccine calendar: http://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/prevention-en-sante/preserver-sa-sante/vaccination/calendrier-vaccinal

For more information about Immunization Week: http://inpes.santepubliquefrance.fr/semaine-vaccination/index.asp

Parkinson’s Disease: Acute Risk in Agricultural Areas

© Fotolia

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 Parkinson’s disease in relation to the agricultural characteristics of French districts. Two Inserm researchers, Sofiane Kab and Alexis Elbaz (Inserm/Santé Publique France) are participating in the study.

By analyzing the French state health insurance’s SNIIRAM database, this national study confirms that Parkinson’s disease is associated with professional exposure to pesticides, a fact that has already been revealed by several studies. This has made it possible to observe that Parkinson’s disease occurs more frequently among those affiliated to the social security body for agricultural workers (Mutualité Sociale Agricole), particularly farmers, than among affiliates of other national health insurance plans.

On top of this, the results suggest that non-professional pesticide exposure related to environmental exposure, for example, could also increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The number of cases of Parkinson’s disease that can be attributed to pesticide exposure is thought to surpass professional exposure.

These results do need to be confirmed by complementary studies.

Yet they tend to confirm that the incidence of Parkinson’s disease in the general population is higher in the most highly agricultural districts, especially viticultural districts.

View Inserm’s latest press releases on Parkinson’s disease :

Un outil pour prédire le déclin cognitif dans la maladie de Parkinson 10 ans après son apparition

Découverte d’un nouveau mécanisme d’action d’une protéine toxique dans la maladie de Parkinson

Les mouvements volontaires des yeux, nouvel indicateur du contrôle postural dans la maladie de Parkinson ?

Brain Awareness Week 2018

From March 12 to 18, 2018, for Brain Awareness Week, the general public is invited to discover the latest neuroscientific advances in an array of free events:  conferences, workshops, exhibits, film screenings, and encounters with those involved in research.

The twentieth annual Brain Awareness Week will take place in over one hundred countries and more than forty cities in France. Researchers from major research organizations, neuroscience institutes, and the realm of university hospitals will offer a fun, varied program: exhibits, film screenings, shows, conferences for the general public, workshops, debates, laboratory tours, and children’s events.

Brain Awareness Week is coordinated by the Society for Neuroscience in partnership with the Brain Research Federation, under the aegis of the European Dana Alliance for the Brain.

The event’s website: www.semaineducerveau.fr/2018

View the 2018 program

View the press pack

Inserm website event page

Inserm, a Brain Awareness Week 2018 partner, is organizing several events throughout France with help from its researchers and regional offices. The press service provides journalists with contact information for the event’s reference researchers.

Northwest Office

Nacim Betrouni
Inserm Researcher
U1171 Degenerative and vascular cognitive disorders
+33 (0)3 20 44 64 22
rf.mresni@inuorteb.mican

David Vaudry
Inserm Researcher
“Neuropeptides, neuronal death, and cell plasticity” team leader
U1239 Neuronal and neuroendocrine differentiation and communication
+33 (0)2 35 14 67 60
rf.neuor-vinu@yrduav.divad

Ile de France Office

Bertrand Nalpas
Inserm Researcher
Addiction mission leader
Scientific Information and Communication Department
+33 (0)1 44 23 67 65
rf.mresni@saplan.dnartreb

François Rouyer
Inserm Researcher
“Molecular genetics of circadian rhythms” team leader
UMR9197 Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NEURO-PSI)
+33 (0)1 69 82 34 36
rf.fig-srnc.fani@reyuor

Véronique Fabre
Inserm Researcher
U1130 Paris Seine Neuroscience
“Normal and pathologic glutamatergic neurons” team
+33 (0)1 44 27 60 68
rf.cmpu@erbaf.euqinorev

Frédéric Laumonnier
Inserm Researcher
U930 Imaging and brain
“Neurogenetics and neurometabolomic” team
+33 (0)2 47 36 60 62
rf.sruot-vinu.dem@reinnomual.cirederf

Eastern Office

Christian Gachet
Inserm Researcher
Director of Unit 949 Biology and pharmacology of blood platelets: hemostasis, thrombosis, transfusion
+33 (0)3 88 21 25 25
rf.ecasla-sfe@tehcag.naitsirhc

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Office

Philippe Zizzari
Inserm Researcher
U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie
“Energy balance and obesity” team
+33 (0)1 40 78 92 22
rf.mresni@irazziz.eppilihp

Deniz Dalkara
Inserm Researcher
“Gene therapies and animal models for neurodegenerative illnesses” team leader
U968 Vision institute
+33 (0)1 53 46 25 32
rf.mresni@araklad.zined 

Occitanie-Pyrénées Office

 Patrice Peran
Inserm Researcher
“Development and validation of biomarkers in MRI and nuclear medicine” team leader
U1214 TONIC (Toulouse neuroimaging center)
+33 (0)5 62 74 61 96
rf.mresni@narep.ecirtap

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Office

Claude Gronfier
Inserm Researcher
U1208 Stem cell and brain research institute
 “Chronobiology and affective disorders” team
+33 (0)4 72 91 34 89
rf.mresni@reifnorg.edualc

Perrine Ruby
Inserm Researcher
U1028 CRNL – Center for Research in Neuroscience in Lyon
“DYCOG – Brain dynamics and cognition” team
+33 (0)4 72 13 89 21
Email:   rf.mresni@ybur.enirrep

Sébastien Carcinella
Inserm Researcher
U1216 Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience (GIN)
“Brain stimulation and systems neuroscience” team
+33 (0)4 56 52 06 75
rf.elbonerg-fju@allecinrac.neitsabes

Occitanie Méditerranée Office

Isabelle Chaudieu
Inserm Researcher
U1061 Neuropsychiatry: epidemiological and clinical research
+33 (0)4 99 61 45 78
rf.mresni@ueiduahc.ellebasi

Marie Péquignot
Inserm Researcher
U1051 Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier: sensory and motor deficits
“Genetics and therapy for retinal and optic nerve blindness” team
+33 (0)4 99 63 60 52
rf.mresni@tongiuqep.eiram

PACA Office

Christophe Bernard
Inserm Researcher
“Physiology and physiopathology of neural networks” team leader
U1106 Institute of systems neuroscience – INS
+33 (0)4 91 32 42 49
rf.mresni@dranreb.ehpotsirhc

View Inserm’s latest neurosciences publications:

Susceptibility to Addiction: Poor Production of New Neurons Implicated

Compensation Mechanisms in Subjects with Alzheimer’s Disease Lesions to Preserve Their Intellectual and Memory Performance

Alcoholism and Dementia Risk

The Biological Clock Sets a Different Rhythm for Each Organ

Migraine: Regions of the Brain We Thought Felt No Pain

Des puces pour modéliser et mieux comprendre la maladie de Huntington (Chips to Model and Better Understand Huntington’s Disease – only available in French)

Rare Disease Day 2018: Show Your Rare. Show You Care.

February 28, 2018, marks the eleventh annual world Rare Disease Day, which carries the slogan “Show your rare. Show you care.” and the #ShowYourRare hashtag. World Rare Disease Day was created in 2008 by EURORDIS and the Council of National Alliances. Ninety countries will be participating in 2018.

Orphanet: a Portal for Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs

Orphanet, which is coordinated by Inserm and is a member of the Rare Disease Platform, is the portal of reference for rare diseases and orphan drugs. It offers an array of freely accessible services to allow patients to understand their disease and its consequences, and to orient them in their care pathways by identifying diagnosis laboratories and reference centers.

Access Orphanet

Contact Orphanet

SOLVE-RD: Major European Funding for Rare Disease Research

A large consortium headed by the University of Tübingen (Germany), the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen (Netherlands), and the University of Leicester (UK), as well as Inserm in France through Orphanet, two major research institutions (the Myology Center for Research and the Brain and Spine institute in Paris), Eurordis, and the Dijon University Hospital, received a €15 million grant for the SOLVE-RD research program.

This large-scale research program is operating under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program. Its aim is to use a single infrastructure to coordinate and analyze all data generated across Europe on rare diseases in order to better identify and diagnose people suffering from the same rare disease.

Today, no less than twenty-four European Reference Networks (ERN) have been set up to improve and harmonize diagnosis and treatment for people with rare diseases. To date, four of them have joined SOLVE-RD by adding and sharing their patient data: RND for rare neurological diseases, EURO-NMD for neuromuscular diseases, ITHACA for congenital malformations and intellectual disability, and GENTURIS for genetic tumor risk syndromes. Other ERNs will join the project in the months to come.

The SOLVE-RD project website

Download the press release

The SOLVE-RD Member Inserm Teams

Inserm Unit US14 Information and service platform for rare diseases and orphan drugs (Orphanet)

Contribution: description of profiles of patients suffering from unnamed rare diseases

Inserm Unit 1127 Brain and Spine Institute (ICM)

Contribution: ERN-RND

Inserm Unit 974 Myology Center for Research (CRM)

Contribution: ERN-EURO-NMD

View Inserm’s latest press releases on rare diseases:

A Major Advance towards a Treatment for Accelerated Ageing

Gene Therapy: First Results in Children with Sanfilippo B Syndrome

Microdystrophin Restores Muscle Strength in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Usher Syndrome: Gene Therapy Restores Hearing and Balance

New Forms of Expression of the Variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Observed within the Scope of Experimental Transmissions

One Step Closer to Restoring Respiratory Function in Cystic Fibrosis?

An Edible Mushroom with Potential to Fight Human Genetic Diseases

The First French Cell Therapy Trial in a Form of Retinitis Pigmentosa on the Horizon

French Estates General 2018 on Bioethics

Vaccines: Good News for Our Children!

Reluctance, or indeed mistrust, towards immunization, is an understandable sentiment, particularly among young parents when their babies are about to be immunized. While this principle may currently seem less vital, or even optional, to parents who no longer face the same tragedies arising from infection as in the past, it nonetheless remains an essential public health measure.

Mandatory immunization came into force on January 1, 2018, and has thus given rise to concerns and debate in public opinion. Numerous scientific falsehoods are doing the rounds, underlining the so-called hazards of vaccines, and debating the relevance of immunization. On December 18, Inserm published a Clarification which aims to provide the scientific perspective on the 11 vaccines which will be mandatory for all infants in France in 2018.

In the face of these rumors, Alain Fischer, pediatrician, immunology researcher, coordinator of Concertation Citoyenne sur la vaccination, and Philippe Sansonetti, specialist in infectious diseases, microbiology researcher, author of “Vaccins”, both professors at the Collège de France, have joined forces to offer an in-depth review of every aspect of immunization.

Read the press kit from the conference organized on December 22 

Read the press release on the clarification issued by Inserm

Watch the video “c’est quoi un vaccin? (What is a vaccine?)” (only available in French)

Gene Therapy Cures Hemophilia

©AdobeStock

Hemophilia is a serious hereditary disease that prevents the blood from clotting. This means that, in the event of a wound, bleeding doesn’t stop or is extremely difficult to stop.

There are two types of hemophilia:

– Hemophilia A, the more common form, is linked to a deficiency in clotting factor VIII

– Hemophilia B, occurring more rarely, is linked to a deficiency in clotting factor IX

Hemophilia primarily affects boys and occurs very rarely in girls, since the disease is passed down on the X chromosome.

Two clinical studies recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine show that it is now possible to cure both hemophilia A and hemophilia B through gene therapy. A one-hour transfusion of a rescue gene that codes for the faulty clotting factor was enough to cure patients suffering from the disease. This is a breakthrough in treating the disease, and it is also one step further for gene therapy, which is being used more and more often in clinical trials.

 

Read our other content on hemophilia:

Jumping Genes: All Guilty?

Sunday, April 17: World Hemophilia Day

Hemophilia: A Hereditary Hemorrhagic Disease

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.

According to the weekly Sentinel network newsletter dated December 13, 2017, the incidence rate for cases of acute diarrhea is above the epidemic threshold (188 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). According to the Sentinel network, it is still too early to talk about an epidemic, strictly speaking, and the level of activity for acute diarrhea should remain stable in the next few weeks.

The Sentinel network states that the highest incidence rates for acute diarrhea have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, Pays de la Loire, and Hauts-de-France regions.

On the other hand, influenza syndrome, until now well below the epidemic threshold, has increased from 19 cases, to 98 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence rates have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Brittany, and Centre-Val de Loire regions. The Sentinel network, which now comprises a new instrument for detecting influenza epidemics developed with Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency), indicates a marked increase in influenza activity in mainland France.

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