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Nobel Prize 2020

Only available in french

Inserm is wishing you a Happy Holiday!

L'Inserm vous présente ses meilleurs voeux pour l'année 2020

Reprise de la campagne de vaccination contre la grippe

 

D’après la Fédération des pharmaciens d’officine (FSPF), plus d’un million de personnes en France s’étaient déjà faites vaccinées contre la grippe au 1er novembre 2019, deux semaines après le lancement de la campagne annuelle. Avec le réseau Sentinelles et le projet Grippenet, l’Inserm participe activement à la surveillance des apparitions de symptômes grippaux sur le territoire français.

Entamée le 15 octobre, la campagne de vaccination contre la grippe 2019 continue de s’étendre, les pharmaciens dénombrant déjà plus d’un million de doses administrées au 1er novembre sur les 4 millions de doses délivrées. Dans notre dossier d’information sur la grippe, nous rappelons que c’est 2 à 8 millions de personnes qui sont touchées chaque année par le virus de la grippe, également appelé Influenzavirus.

Fatigue, fièvre, toux, « nez qui coule » : si les symptômes sont en apparence similaires à ceux d’un rhume ou d’une rhinopharyngite, la grippe est plus éprouvante que les autres pathologies fréquentes de l’hiver. Mutant chaque année, l’Influenzavirus peut même s’avérer mortel, notamment pour les enfants, les personnes âgées et les personnes fragiles, faisant en moyenne 5000 morts chaque année.

 

Sous haute surveillance à l’échelle mondiale, l’épidémie annuelle de grippe l’est aussi en France, sous la coordination de Santé publique France. C’est dans cet objectif que, depuis 1984, l’Inserm participe à la tenue du réseau Sentinelles, en partenariat avec la faculté de médecine de la Sorbonne. Plus de 1400 médecins généralistes et pédiatres libéraux, tous volontaires et répartis sur le territoire métropolitain, fournissent les données de leurs consultations afin d’établir un bilan statistique et géographique des tendances épidémiologiques. Les indicateurs ainsi fournis permettent d’évaluer l’incidence de nombreuses pathologies de manière hebdomadaire. On sait ainsi que les symptômes grippaux sont encore légers en cette fin de mois de novembre, même si certaines tendances se démarquent dans les Cévennes, dans l’Artois et dans le bocage mayennais.

Par ailleurs, les chercheurs et les professionnels de Santé peuvent aussi se reposer sur les données de surveillance fournis par le projet Grippenet. Mis en place en 2012 par le réseau Sentinelles, c’est un projet de surveillance épidémiologique permettant à tout le monde de participer en ligne, anonymement, en renseignant les symptômes dont ils pourraient souffrir d’une semaine sur l’autre. Cela permet aux chercheurs de l’Inserm et de Sorbonne Université de suivre l’évolution d’individus pouvant monter des symptômes grippaux sans pour autant avoir été consulter un médecin généraliste.

Bruno Lina, chercheur Inserm au Centre international de recherche en infectiologie (CIRI) de Lyon déclarait pour notre dossier que « [les] outils de lutte actuels ne suffisent pas à éliminer le problème de santé lié à la grippe. Nous avons un vrai besoin de connaissances dans tous les domaines ». Le réseau Sentinelles, avec l’appui du projet Grippenet, sont des outils importants pour les chercheurs désireux d’enrichir les connaissances épidémiologiques sur l’Influenzavirus et, entre autres, d’améliorer les mesures de prévention et l’efficacité des vaccins contre la grippe.

sentiweb.fr

Nobel prize 2019

Only available in french

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?

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:

French Estates General 2018 on Bioethics

10 Principles for Fighting Climate Change

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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: http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/6/1701912

Isabella Annesi-Maesano, INSERM Research Director, is a co-author of this article.

 

  1. Climate change is real. The first principle reasserts that climate change and global warming are real[i], which is a precondition to any defensive actions against climate change.
  2. Health and the environment are inextricably linked to climate change. Despite this, political action and investments currently underway are not yet enough to confront these challenges on the worldwide scale.
  3. Climate change has a direct effect on respiratory health. Cold temperatures, rising temperatures, humidity, variations in atmospheric pressure, storms, flooding, and other phenomena are a serious threat to respiratory health[ii].
  4. Climate change also has an indirect effect on respiratory health. Climate change can also trigger heightened exposure to other respiratory illness risk factors, for example atmospheric pollution, pollen, and infectious agents, and this can cause them to develop and become worse more quickly[iii] [iv].
  5. Few data are available. Yet understanding these phenomena better would make it possible to carry out risk simulations and better organize prevention.
  6. The impact on health is not the same for everyone. Certain populations are at greater risk since they are more vulnerable. For example, 30% of the world’s population is threatened by “deadly heat waves.” The impact is felt even more intensely by those who suffer from respiratory illnesses or who are predisposed to them. [v]
  7. The challenge is to change. The anthropic greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming and climate change can be primarily attributed to humans (population size, economic activities, lifestyle, energy consumption, soil use methods). Fighting climate change requires a combination of reduction measures to treat the causes and adaptation measures to treat the impact.
  8. Reduction (mitigation). Climate change can be mitigated by drastically reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations or, at the very least, stabilizing them in the atmosphere at a level that prevents all dangerous anthropic disturbance to the climate system. This can be achieved by reducing GHG emissions and pollutants. This includes the action of atmospheric pollutants with a short lifespan in order to reduce the greenhouse effects in the short term, which involves the protection and improvement of GHG sinks and reserves (e.g., forests and soil).
  9. Local action plans can be made to protect health in the event of a heat wave or excessively cold temperatures, to deploy specialized emergency medical services, to improve the monitoring and supervision of climate-sensitive illnesses, and to sanitize drinking water. The “polluters pay” concept must no longer be accepted, as less harmful alternatives are an option.
  10. Action must be taken now. And it must be taken by governments and nations. In Europe, the following must be done (among others):
  • invest in green fuels and technologies
  • take political measures to reduce Diesel emissions
  • adopt and apply the WHO air quality standards as EU limits
  • prosecute those who violate EU legislation

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals have a duty to contribute to the application of these principles.

[i] . Climate change is happening now[i]. The rise in global average temperatures is quite clear. The deviation from the average for the period of reference, ranging from 1961 to 1990, has almost always been positive since the early 1980s. The decade from 2001 to 2010 was 0.21°C warmer than the decade from 1991 to 2000, and is 0.48°C higher than the 1961-1990 average. 2016 was the warmest year (by 1.2° Celsius) on the planet since temperatures began being recorded in 1880, marking the third consecutive annual heat record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The land and ocean surface temperature was 0.94ºC higher than the twentieth-century average of 13.9ºC, which was 0.9ºC higher than the previous record for 2015, according to NOAA. Land surface temperatures alone were 1.43ºC higher than the twentieth-century average, and ocean surface temperatures were 0.75ºC higher (or 0.1 point higher than the 2015 record). Rising temperatures and the resulting extreme weather (flooding, heat waves, storms) are caused by the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, fluorocarbons) in the atmosphere due to human activity.

[ii] Climate change and respiratory diseases ERR 2014 23

[iii] Mendell MJ, Mirer AG, Cheung K, et al. Respiratory and allergic health effects of dampness, mold, and dampness related agents: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 748–756.

[iv] Ayres JG, Forberg B, Annesi-Maesano I, et al. Climate change and respiratory disease: European Respiratory Society statement. Eur Respir J 2009; 34: 295–302

[v] Annesi-Maesano I.UN Climate Change Conferences: COP21 a lost opportunity for asthma and allergies and preparing for COP22. J Allergy Clin Immnol 2016;138:57-8

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