Scientists have found that certain compounds, produced by microbes in the guts of mice, could be used to show which animals are at greater risk of becoming obese, or developing health conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
In a study published today in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine1, the team led by Prof. Nicolas Lévy identifies the mechanism associated with the accumulation of progerin, a toxic protein produced in the course of ageing, and demonstrates the therapeutic potential of a new drug – MG132 – to treat progeria, a rare syndrome involving premature and accelerated ageing. Nicolas Lévy and his team have demonstrated the ability of...
An international study with the participation of physicians from the AP-HP Paris public hospitals network and researchers from Inserm, UPMC and CNRS within the Brain & Spine Institute (ICM) has identified a clinical-genetic score to predict cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease sufferers. Cognitive impairment is one of the most debilitating characteristics to manifest in certain patients with the disease. The ability to predict its emergence within ten years of...
Today, the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE) has decided to open up medically assisted procreation (MAP) to female couples and single women in France. In a report released on June 19, the National Academy of Medicine has advocated egg preservation for women who wish to do so.
Skeletal muscle wasting, a process commonly associated with aging but also seen with various chronic diseases (obesity, cancer, kidney failure), situations of immobilization (accidents, post-operative periods) or prolonged weightlessness (astronauts), strongly impacts quality of life. Researchers from the Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Diabetology and Nutrition (CarMeN) laboratory (Inserm/Inra/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1/Insa Lyon) in Lyon (France), led by Hubert Vidal, Inserm Research Director, in collaboration with the team of Dr. Jérome...
Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for the brain. Deficiency in these acids can lead to depressive mood. A new study led by Inserm and Inra researchers from Unit 901, "Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology" (Inserm/Université d’Aix-Marseille) and UMR 1256, "Nutrition and Integrated Neurobiology" (Inra/Université de Bordeaux) reveals the mechanisms of disease that develop in adult mice on a low omega-3 diet since adolescence. It also demonstrates therapeutic approaches. The results...
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...
With summer comes the festival season, which begins in France on June 21, with the traditional Music Day. It is also an opportunity to inform festival goers, and young people in particular, about the risk of hearing loss involved, especially at concerts with amplified music. Hearing is a partnership between the ear and the brain. The ear captures sound waves and transmits the vibrations to the cochlea. The hair...
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...
From July 23 to 26, 2017, the Ninth IAS Conference on HIV Science, of which Inserm is a partner, will be held at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. For this edition, the International AIDS Society (IAS) has teamed up with ANRS, the autonomous agency of Inserm, to coordinate and fund research on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.