A joint study conducted by Inserm researchers from IBENS (Institute of Biology of the Ecole Normale Supérieure – Inserm/CNRS/ENS Paris) in Paris and researchers from SIgN (Singapore Immunology Network, A*STAR) in Singapore has revealed a hitherto undiscovered role played by the microbiota on immune cells in the brain, occurring from the fetal stage. These cells, known as microglia, play a key role in brain development and function, and are...
Could a common mushroom help fight certain genetic diseases? Although surprising, this is indeed the new discovery made by French scientists from Inserm, the French National Museum of Natural History, the CNRS, Université de Lille, and the Institut Pasteur de Lille[1]. By examining numerous extracts, the scientists thus evidenced that the mushroom, Lepista inversa, acted significantly on three isolated cell lines taken from patients with cystic fibrosis. This research...
After 40 years of research, researchers at the CEA, the CNRS, the University of Grenoble-Alps, the University of Montpellier and the Inserm have finally identified the enzyme responsible for the tubulin cycle. Surprisingly, it is not one enzyme but two which control the cycle of this essential component of the cytoskeletal structure. This work opens up new prospects for the improved understanding of the role of tubulin, changes in...
On July 13, 2017, the journal Lancet Neurology published the results of a gene therapy trial conducted in four children with Sanfilippo type B syndrome (also known as MPS IIIB). This trial is the achievement of a two-decade partnership with financial support of AFM-Téléthon and the cooperation of the charity "Vaincre les Maladies Lysosomales" (VML). After monitoring of the treated children for 30 months, Dr. Jean-Michel Heard, from the...
Une équipe de jeunes chercheurs dirigée par Guillaume Montagnac, chargé de recherche Inserm à Gustave Roussy, en collaboration avec l’Institut Curie et l’Institut de Myologie, a découvert un nouveau mécanisme qui aide les cellules à migrer. La cellule forme à la surface de sa membrane de multiples petites pinces qui l’aident à s’accrocher pour mieux progresser le long des fibres présentes à l’extérieur de la cellule. Ce mécanisme permet...
It is known that IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) is needed for development and also plays a role throughout the body’s life. Previously, the team led by Martin Holzenberger (Inserm/UPMC Unit 938, Saint-Antoine Research Center) has shown that this hormone is involved in longevity and in Alzheimer’s disease. The team has recently conducted further research on IGF-1 and the response of neurons to this kind of neurodegeneration. These new results...
A study conducted by Inserm researchers at the Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health (Irset)[1] has shown that natural selection has "purged" our bodies of many of the traces of our ancient Neanderthal and Denisovan cousins in the genes responsible for the genetic mixing essential to reproduction. The researchers have shown that the genes expressed during meiosis in the cells that produce gametes (reproductive cells) are strongly deficient...
An international collaborative study coordinated by Frédéric Laumonnier (Unit 930 “Imaging and Brain” Inserm/University of Tours) and Yann Hérault of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (Inserm/ CNRS/ University of Strasbourg) provides new and original findings on the pathophysiological role of the contact areas between neurons in certain brain disorders. The study reveals that mutation of one of the genes involved in intellectual disability and autism...
A new study conducted by Inserm researchers at Irset (Institute of Research in Environmental and Occupational Health)[1] shows that ibuprofen is liable to cause disruptions in the hormone system in the human foetal testis, with possible implications for the development of the male urogenital tract. This drug suppresses the production of various testicular hormones, including testosterone, which controls the primary and secondary sex characteristics and the descent of the...
Some cancer cells are resistant to treatment and persist. If they are capable of proliferating again, even a very small number of these cells may be enough to reconstitute a tumour after or despite treatment. Various approaches to eliminate these “cancer stem cells” (CSCs) have been tried in recent years: targeted therapies, vaccination and tumour starvation. In an article published in the journal Cell Reports, Christophe Ginestier, Inserm Research...