With the Académie des Sciences in 2013-2014

With the Académie des Sciences in

2013 - 2014

Personal Genome and the Practice of Medicine

Genomics, which revolutionized the practice of biological sciences, are now entering the clinical field.While the notion of a personalized

medicine is not entirely new, the considerable progress of genomics should provide the means for reaching individual variability

where human health is concerned, whether in diagnosis, prognosis or treatments. However, before such medical practice based on

the study of the genome spreads, economic and ethical issues remain, as well as issues related to the training and information of the

practitioners and populations (12 November 2013).

Académie des Sciences-Académie Nationale de Médecine Joint Session

Personalized Medicine in Cancer Oncology

In oncology, the molecular profiling of tumours may help fight them better.

However, while major progress have been achieved in the field, limits yet

remain. Certain targeted treatments are effective against rare forms of cancer,

whose mechanisms are well understood because they derive from simple

molecular lesions. It remains uncertain whether they may be relevant against

more common cancers (breast, intestine, lung, kidney,…), which result from

cumulative lesions (23 April 2013).

Académie des Sciences - Académie Nationale de Médecine Joint Session

Therapeutic Innovation

Considerable progress has been achieved in the last thirty years at all stages of

research for new drugs: molecule synthesis and assessment, pharmacology, toxicology,

pharmacokinetics and metabolism, formulation and targeting, clinical trials. However,

the number of really innovative molecules on the market remains small in comparison

to such progress. New avenues may be explored to overcome the hindrances to such

innovation, whether they pertain to the field of science, to ethics or law (11 June 2013).

Académie des Sciences-Académie Nationale de Pharmacie-Académie desTechnologies

Joint Session

Multiple Drug Resistance in Infection and Cancer

The Darwinian adaptation of bacteria to selective pressures from antibiotics is a phenomenon that has been long recognised. More

recently, the emergence of resistance to treatments has also been evidenced on cancer cells, which, as bacteria, grow fast and have a

high genomic plasticity. This conference gave the opportunity to discover the role played by certain mechanisms that have been identified

in the resistance process to anticancer (clonal evolution, kinase) and anti-infection (virus, efflux pumps) drugs (29 April 2014).

Académie des Sciences - Académie Nationale de Médecine Joint Session

Gas mediators

About thirty years ago, nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen

sulphide (SH

) were only known for their ligand properties on transition metals and

their toxic effects. Nowadays, multiple physiological roles are attributed to them,

as they regulate such complex and fundamental biological systems as immunity,

the cardiovascular system or the central and peripheral nervous system. The most

recent work allows for profiling double-facet molecules, which are beneficial at

low dose and harmful at high (6 February 2013).

Académie des Sciences - Académie Nationale de Pharmacie Joint Session