En cette période un peu trouble de pandémie et de focalisation évidemment justifiée sur la thématique Covid-19 qui de fait occulte un peu tout le reste, nous sommes heureux de vous annoncer la 6e journée thématique de Biotechnocentre intitulée « Cellules souches et organoïdes : réalités et perspectives ». Du fait de la conjoncture, cette journée thématique sera exceptionnellement organisée sous la forme d’un webinaire.
D’une certaine manière, cette journée fait écho à la 2e journée thématique que Biotechnocentre a organisée en 2016 « Les modèles animaux et leurs alternatives : quel avenir ? » (voir la lettre d’information N°65 de Biotechnocentre, http://www.biotechnocentre.fr). En effet, la législation nationale, européenne et même internationale règlementant l’expérimentation animale définit un cadre légal de plus en plus contrain

Nous vivons une époque formidable. Lors du succès de l’atterrissage du rover Perseverance sur la planète rouge le 18 février, il semblait complètement anachronique de voir les ingénieurs de la NASA manifester leur joie tous masqués et évitant de se toucher. Alors que l’intelligence humaine est mobilisée pour explorer l’infiniment grand à la recherche d’une vie extraterrestre à plus de 200 millions de kilomètres de la Terre, elle continue à se heurter à des systèmes biologiques terrestres (comme le SARS-CoV-2) qui, bien que considérés comme « non vivant » émergent et évoluent pour constamment la mettre à l’épreuve. Nous arrivons à la croisée des chemins entre nos connaissances scientifiques et nos stratégies thérapeutiques qui n’ont cessé de s’accumuler ces derniers mois pour lutter contre la Covid-19. C’est pour faire le point sur la ques

Biomineralized structures can function as a barrier to the external environment, and as such are conceptually entwined with innate immune processes. Disentangling immune and biomineralization mechanisms represents a significant challenge for researchers trying to understand how organisms could integrate biomineral formation and plasticity with maintenance of critical innate immune protection. In fact, there is increasing evidence that immune proteins can serve genuine dual-functional roles, both in regulation of biomineralization, as well as resisting pathogens. This awareness is growing in models as diverse as the dual-functionning haemocytes of marine bivalves, and in mineralization / demineralization of the avian eggshell. Moreover, reef corals, in which calcification is coupled to the photosynthetic activity of their mutualistic symb

Grapevines and their byproducts produce a broad range of specialized metabolites, including flavonoid- and stilbenoid-type compounds, that exhibit diverse biological activities highly sought by biomass-based industries. Among the large molecular diversity present in grape, only few lead molecules are exploited. This is the case for resveratrol; currently exploited as food supplements and cosmetics ingredient for its anti-aging properties and for oligomeric pro-anthocyanidins (OPCs) that are used for several health purposes including the prevention of cardiac and Alzheimer diseases. Beyond these two well-known lead molecules, grapevine is a natural source for a myriad of other biomass-derived molecules that remains underexplored. The objective of the present workshop is to build-up a transversal platform for the development of novel grape

What are our lives worth to a neoliberal government? As Michel Foucault taught us, neoliberalism is an "art of governing". Based on the "regime of truth " of the market, this governmentality normalizes and moralizes subjectivities under the horizon of capital accumulation (economic, social, cultural, symbolic). Neoliberalism has shaped a biopolitical "way of the world" which, through the logic of a radical utilitarianism based on competition, individual responsibility, economic inequalities and the universal empire of value, downgrade the value of human lives in favor of profit opportunities. In the neoliberal order, the value of human life has always been a critical issue; with the COVID-19 pandemics, this issue is even more relevant and needs to be addressed urgently. More recently, neoliberal governments have deployed authoritarian neo

Respiratory infections ranked 4 in the WHO 2016 list of “Top 10 causes of death worldwide”. There is an urgent need for improved treatment of respiratory infections, in view of the absence of affordable treatment, but also because of the absence of effective drugs for selected respiratory pathogens and the increase in microbial resistance to conventional antibiotic treatment.
 Recent insight into host defense mechanisms against respiratory infections and the respiratory microbiota have opened up new avenues for novel treatment strategies.
The aim of this Le Studium Conference is to bring together experts from a variety of European countries to discuss the latest developments in the field, and to explore future opportunities for collaboration with the Horizon 2020 program or related EU programs.
This international conference is

In the last twenty years, the study of the history of international law and of international relations has witnessed something of a renaissance. The bicentenary of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) also led to several new publications on the Congress System and on the “security culture” that was established in the aftermath of Napoleon. Nevertheless, many lacunae remain, especially regarding the relationship between law(s) and international relations during the long nineteenth century and in the sociocultural history of international law as a discipline with its own actors, networks, venues, institutions and power circles. The aim of the present conference is to deepen our study of the interconnections  between law(s) and international relations through the eyes of a plurality of actors (e.g., legal advisers, lawyers, judges, activi

For millennia, people have been part of nature in riverscapes, coevolving with the living river systems that are the hearts of these environments.  As well as being biologically diverse and resilient ecosystems, the world’s rivers have been paths for the evolution and adaptation of the cultural identity, material and spiritual wellbeing, and security of human civilizations.  River flows continue to connect people, places, and wildlife today, inspiring and sustaining a myriad beliefs, values, services, and lifeways.

The conference will convene thought leaders, researchers, and practitioners working on different aspects of the conservation and management of biological and cultural diversity in river basins.  They will explore the interlinkages between nature and culture in the context of the parallel global biological

Parasitic roundworms, also termed ascarids, share many biological and pathological features, and so a systematic collaborative approach to the study of these offers great synergistic potential in the development of new options for controlling these infections. This group of parasites are highly prevalent and of great clinical importance in human and animals, e.g. pigs, horses, chickens, dogs and cats. Some, such as Ascaris spp. are zoonotic and it is estimated that > 800 million people are at risk of infection with Ascaris lumbricoides. To promote the advancement of science and foster international multi-disciplinary research collaborations to combat diseases caused by ascarid worms, we propose the development of an international collaboration entitled ‘The Ascarid Research and Training Initiative (ARTI)’. To facilitate this, we will h

The production of green and renewable energy plays a key role in all future energy scenarios towards the zero-emission transition that has to be tackled in the next 30 years. The rapid inter-conversion of electricity into chemical energy offers an important avenue for the use of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. The generation of electricity in fuel cells from the electrochemical reaction of H2 and O2, coupled with the photoelectrochemical water splitting to produce oxygen and hydrogen gases and the valorization of CO2 through its conversion into solar fuels are also strongly related with the concepts of circular economy. Hence, the study of materials able to efficiently harvest and transform solar energy is highly necessary. Moreover, due to the intermittent character of the solar energy, adequate energy storage and conversion st

Following the successful 2019 edition of the International Interdisciplinary Conference titled “Skin Models in Cosmetic Science: Bridging Established Methods and Novel Technologies” held in Tours (France), the event is back for a 2nd edition. This event will take place as an online conference.

The 1st Franco-Thai Seminar on Phytocosmeceutical Research and Applications brings together French and Thai researchers with common interests in natural botanical sourcing, phytochemistry, including green extraction and analytical methodologies, evaluation of biological activity and formulation, and interface disciplines applied to phytocosmeceutical research and applications.