news

Human fibroblasts observed by fluorescence microscopy. Mitochondria are marked in red, fibroblast core DNA is marked in blue © Nivea Dias Amoedo/Inserm A deterioration in skin quality, its ability to heal, and its normal aging, is often observed in people with chronic hyperglycemia. A team of researchers from Inserm, the University of Bordeaux and LVMH Recherche has investigated how hyperglycemia alters the human dermis, and in particular the cells involved in its healing, the fibroblasts.

While glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain tumor that currently offers little hope of cure, researchers at the CANTHER laboratory (CNRS / Inserm / University of Lille / Lille University Hospital / Pasteur Institute of Lille) and the Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies (CNRS / University of Strasbourg) have succeeded in identifying different forms of this tumor and mapping them precisely by analyzing the activity of gene regulatory factors.

Mouse macrophages visualized using confocal microscopy, showing the nuclei (blue) and the actin network (orange). Mónica Fernández Monreal, Bordeaux Imaging Center Macrophages, key cells of the immune system, play a central role in cleaning the body by ingesting and destroying pathogens (bacteria, viruses, etc.) and damaged cells.

Motoneurones (stained by immunohistochemistry for ChAT) of the lumbar section of the spinal cord in ALS mouse models. Scale 100 mm © Simon J Guillot, Daniel Beckett ,Matei Bolborea Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Charcot's disease, or Lou Gehrig's disease is a severe neurodegenerative disease that leads to progressive paralysis of muscles involved in voluntary movement.

The Remember project provides new insights into post-traumatic stress disorder © Inserm Following a shocking, dangerous or frightening experience, such as a terrorist attack, many people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In order to improve its management, numerous scientific studies are examining the neurobiological processes underlying the development of this disorder.

To fight the virus that causes influenza, one of the avenues being explored by scientists is the development of drugs capable of destabilising its genome, made up of eight RNA 1 molecules.

Various complex processes enable the release of the sugars contained in wood, which are used in particular to produce second-generation bioethanol. Scientists from INRAE, the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne and the company Européenne de Biomasse have identified ranges of technological trade-off (temperature and pre-treatment time) that enable oak and poplar residues to be reclaimed while minimising the economic investment.

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 seeds of maritime pines remember the temperatures they experienced during early development. This memory persists in young trees for at least two years after germination. The above discovery was made by researchers at INRAE, CEA, FCBA, the University of Orléans, the University of Perpignan, and the University of Lisbon.

Observe almost any animal or plant, in any weather, day or night. This has been made possible thanks to the work of an international team, led by researchers from Westlake University, China in collaboration with INRAE, who have designed an embedded vision camera capable of analysing images in real time.

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.

The only permanent bipeds of the animal kingdom alongside humans, birds have an extraordinary sense of balance. How do these direct descendants of the dinosaurs maintain this stability, especially when sleeping? Scientists recently succeeded in solving the mystery. It may sound like a tall tale, but that is more or less the one recounted in a recent publication by a team of scientists at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) and the CNRS, which explains in the pages of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface 1  how birds can sleep while standing, without losing their balance.

INRAE scientists are exploring how products and byproducts can be transformed into new molecules and biomaterials with utility in a wide range of sectors, including the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical, chemical, agricultural, food processing, automotive, and construction industries. Building a strong bioeconomy is crucial if we wish to achieve carbon neutrality and limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

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.

French cattle breeding faces a major challenge: the management of inbreeding and its corollary, the appearance of recessive genetic anomalies affecting the health and sustainability of herds. A proof-of-concept study conducted by INRAE geneticists, in partnership with the Institut de l'élevage (IDELE), ELIANCE, the 4 French veterinary schools (ENVF) and the main French breeding organizations and companies, proposes a new approach to identifying and countering these anomalies.

A European study, led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences with the participation of INRAE, reviewed 20 years of research into the effects of climate change on deer populations in Europe, Asia and North America. The review, published in Global Change Biology, covered 218 scientific articles and showed that while many deer populations benefit from warmer winters, they may not be able to adapt to hotter and drier summers, which could push the animals towards more northerly areas.

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.

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.

Scientists have deciphered the activation pathway of bemnifosbuvir 1 , a drug candidate initially in development to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV). The findings of the research team, led by CNRS scientists 2 , unlock new opportunities to boost the efficacy of this type of drug against other RNA viruses, such as the ones that cause Covid-19 and dengue fever.