actualités 2024

MASH is a growing pandemic worldwide, with obesity and diabetes on the rise. It is also an area of significant unmet medical need. François Pattou Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), impacts roughly 30% of the global adult population.

With the rise of antibiotics in the 1930s, phage therapy (i.e. the use of viruses called bacteriophages to fight bacterial infections) was abandoned. Today, with the rise of antibiotic resistance making the treatment of bacterial infections increasingly difficult, phage therapy is once again attracting the interest of doctors and researchers, despite the complexity of its application due to the great diversity and specificity of bacteriophages.

The higher we climb, the lower the oxygen supply to our bodies. Since 2019, a research team from Inserm, Grenoble Alpes University and Grenoble Alpes University Hospital has been investigating the health consequences of oxygen restriction. Their work has taken them to Peru, to Rinconada, the world's highest city (5,300 m), which has become a veritable open-air laboratory.

Unsplash Teams from the departments of clinical and biological hematology, obstetrics and gynecology, pharmacovigilance, medical intensive care, infectiology, as well as the clinical research unit of theHôpital Cochin-Port Royal AP-HP, Université Paris Cité, Inserm and the HEMAPREG network, coordinated by Mr Pierre Pinson and Drs Ismael Boussaid and Rudy Birsen, have conducted a study on pregnancy-associated hematological cancers.

Myotubular myopathy is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the MTM1 gene. A study carried out in animals by researchers from Inserm, CNRS and the University of Strasbourg at the IGBMC, in collaboration with American teams, has shed light on the underlying mechanisms of this disease. Published in the journal Science , these studies suggest that vitamin K supplementation could improve certain symptoms of the disease, opening up new therapeutic prospects.

Central Africa, especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is highly affected by successive mpox outbreaks. Until now, the extent of genetic diversity of the virus had not been well characterised in this region of the world. For the first time, as part of the AFROSCREEN project and the PANAFPOX project , teams from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in DRC, IRD and Inserm have provided important new information on the genetic diversity of mpox virus circulating in DRC and on the predominant route of transmission.

Researchers at INRAE have developed an artificial mouth to reproduce and better understand the processing of soft foods. The device is based on anatomical data collected at the Fujita Health University and features a silicone tongue that contracts using compressed air to mimic the movements of the human tongue.

Nirsevimab is an antibody targeting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Available in France since September 2023, it is indicated in neonates and infants for the prevention of bronchiolitis caused by RSV. AdobeStock Nirsevimab is an antibody targeting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Available in France since September 2023, it is indicated in neonates and infants for the prevention of bronchiolitis caused by RSV.

Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that causes listeriosis, a serious disease, can go into dormancy when confronted with environmental stress, for example in the presence of detergents or in water devoid of nutrients. It then becomes undetectable by the tests commonly used in the food industry and hospitals, thus representing a major health risk.

In a study published in the journal Cell on 19 September, an international research team led by scientists from CNRS 1 , the University of Arizona and Scripps Research in California has identified animal species likely to have served as intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

L'alimentation serait responsable d'environ 30% des décès dus aux maladies cardiovasculaires. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in Western Europe, accounting for 1/3 of deaths in 2019. Diet is thought to be responsible for around 30% of such deaths. Nutrition-related prevention policies therefore constitute a major public health challenge for these diseases.

Epidemics of Ebola virus disease occur periodically in several sub-Saharan African countries. Two vaccines have already received WHO prequalification against the Ebolavirus Zaire species. However, information on the long-term immune response to these vaccines is still insufficient. We need to consolidate our knowledge on this subject to continue developing the safest and most effective vaccination strategies possible, for both adults and children.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual disability in people over 50 years of age. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual disability in people over 50 years of age. Improving the treatment offering for patients is a major challenge for research.

Nearly one in three cancers develops following chronic inflammation, whose origin remains unclear. In a new study, researchers from Inserm, CNRS, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1 and the Léon Bérard Centre at the Cancer Research Center of Lyon identified lymphocytes involved in the inflammatory processes and that are thought to be implicated in the generation of these cancers.

The ANRS DOXYVAC trial, promoted and funded by ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases, and conducted by research teams from Inserm, AP-HP, Université Paris Cité and Sorbonne Université (France), shows that a rapid rollout of smallpox vaccination with MVA-BN ( Modified vaccine Ankara ) among HIV-positive men who have sex with men significantly reduces the risk of mpox by 99%.

Acute myeloid leukaemia is one of the deadliest cancers. Leukaemic stem cells responsible for the disease are highly resistant to treatment. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), and Inserm has made a breakthrough by identifying some of the genetic and energetic characteristics of these stem cells.

Phospho-ERK (red), Green Fluorescent Protein (cyan) and DAPI coimmunofluorescence on spleen sections from mice carrying a KRAS G12C endothelial mutation © Guillaume Canaud The teams of the translational medicine and targeted therapies unit of the Necker-Enfants Malades AP-HP hospital, Inserm, Paris Cité University within the Necker-Enfants Malades Institute, coordinated by professors Guillaume Canaud (Université Paris Cité, AP-HP) and Laurent Gu

Jannis Brandt Unsplash The intestinal immune system is an indispensable intermediary in the complex association between diet and metabolism: without it, the dietary fibers present in fruit and vegetables cannot play a proper part in regulating blood sugar levels in the body. Researchers at Inserm and Sorbonne University have now demonstrated that a certain type of immune cell is essential for the beneficial effect of dietary fibre on carbohydrate metabolism.

When confronted with an antibiotic, toxic substance, or other source of considerable stress, bacteria are able to activate a defence mechanism using cell-to-cell communication to 'warn' unaffected bacteria, which can then anticipate, shield themselves and spread the warning signal. This mechanism 1 has just been described for the first time by a team of scientists 2 from CNRS and Université de Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier.

MRI image showing the reconstructed pulmonary valve (circled in red) that is closing perfectly 7 days after implantation. Fabien Kawecki/Inserm Researchers from Inserm have developed a pulmonary valve using human collagen. A device that could ultimately be a game-changer in the treatment of paediatric heart diseases, such as tetralogy of Fallot.