Researchers at CNRS, INSERM, Aix-Marseille University and AP-HM have just created a virtual brain that can reconstitute the brain of a person affected by epilepsy for the first time. From this work we understand better how the disease works and can also better prepare for surgery. These results are published in Neuroimage, on July 28, 2016.
The French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is the only research institution in France listed in the World Top 100 institutions with the most progress in the last 3 years. This is indicated by the Nature Index 2016 Rising Stars, which highlights the big contribution of Inserm researchers to publications in the best 68 journals selected by Nature. This ranking identifies the most brilliant institutions to...
The relationship between omega-3 fatty acid intake and adaptation to stress or anxiety is becoming clearer. Back in 2011, a team of researchers from INRA and Inserm showed that reducing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids in mice increased their stress. This phenomenon may be linked to impairment of the brain’s ability to produce endogenous cannabinoids, the “endocannabinoids,” brain lipids that control synaptic memory. To better understand the endocannabinoid-dependent...
Dr. Federico MINGOZZI, Team Leader of the Immunology and Liver Gene Transfer unit at Généthon, (Inserm U951/UPMC), France, has demonstrated the long-term efficacy of an optimized AAV-UGT1A1 vector for the correction of Crigler-Najjar syndrome (CN) in two different animal models of the disease. This work, published in July 20, 2016 in Molecular Therapy Methods and Clinical Development was supported by the AFM-Telethon.
Inserm Unit U919, directed by Prof. Denis Vivien (“Serine Proteases and Physiopathology of the Neurovascular Unit”) has developed an antibody with potential therapeutic effects against multiple sclerosis. The study, directed by Fabian Docagne and published in Brain, paves the way for a new strategy to control the disease.
In a traumatic event, such as the attacks on Paris on 13 November 2015, and on Nice on 14 July 2016, the risk for victims and witnesses of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high.
Researchers from Paris Descartes University, CNRS, Inserm, University Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) and the Paris Public Hospitals (AP-HP) have shown that analysis of epigenetic modifications could be used as a universal marker for monitoring tumour DNA circulating in the bloodstream of patients with colorectal cancer. This study is based on hypermethylation analysis of two genes (WIF1 and NPY) using a cutting-edge method: droplet-based digital PCR[1]. These results were published on...
With nearly 3.2 billion people currently at risk of contracting malaria, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, the CNRS and Inserm have experimentally developed a live, genetically attenuated vaccine for Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for the disease. By identifying and deleting one of the parasite's genes, the scientists enabled it to induce an effective, long-lasting immune response in a mouse model. These findings were published in the Journal of Experimental...
On 11 July 2016, Mr Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, and the Chairman and CEO of the Institute, Professor Yves Lévy, signed the objectives and performance contract binding Inserm and the French State for the 2016–2020 period. The result of intense exchanges between Inserm and the relevant ministries, the contract defines the broad directions and actions that will be taken by the Institute in...
Since their development in the 1950s, antipsychotic drugs have been widely used to treat psychoses and neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. A debilitating side-effect of these drugs called parkinsonism limits their efficacy.Irvine scientists led by Emiliana Borrelli, Inserm research director at University of California and colleagues have discovered the key cellular mechanism that underlies the antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism - which includes involuntary movements, tremors and other severe physical conditions. These studies...