Bicêtre Hospital - N-BIPS

N-BIPS (Neurosciences- Bicêtre Paris-Saclay) is a fundamental and clinical research structure of the Bicêtre Hospital, dedicated to the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system (monogenic diseases), as well as to the search for innovative treatments.

N-BIPS is composed of an Inserm/University of Paris-Saclay research unit (UMR 1195, "Diseases and Hormones of the Nervous System") and three departments at Bicêtre Hospital:

  • "Adult Neurology" (Head of Department: Pr. D. Adams), dedicated to the care of patients with chronic and acute neurological diseases;
  • « Adult and Paediatric Interventional Neuroradiology » (Head of Department: Pr. L. Spelle), which allows the diagnosis and care of adults and children with vascular diseases of the brain and spinal cord;
  • « Paediatric Neuroradiology » (Head of Department: Pr. C. Adamsbaum), which performs all imaging modalities in newborns, children and adolescents.
The UMR 1195 aims to meet unmet medical needs in the field of diseases and injuries of the nervous system, through the protection of nerve cells and the improvement of neurodegeneration (regeneration of myelin sheaths, and functional rehabilitation). It is composed of 4 teams:
  • Team 1 "Steroids and the Nervous System" (M. Schumacher) is currently studying the cerebroprotective potential of steroid hormones and neurosteroids and the underlying mechanisms.
  • Team 2 "Glial Cells, Regeneration and Plasticity" (E. Traiffort) focuses on the identification of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of myelin diseases of the central nervous system and for the treatment of inflammation associated with these diseases and other neurological pathologies.
  • Team 3 "Targeted Therapies for Neuropathies" (L. Massade) is a laboratory of excellence in nanoscience and nanotechnology whose research focuses on hereditary and traumatic peripheral neuropathies for which current pharmacological treatments are absent or ineffective.
  • Team 4 "Genetics and Neurodevelopment" (J. Melki) aims to better understand certain aspects of neurodevelopment and their dysregulation in pathological situations, by combining pharmacological, genetic, molecular and cellular approaches, as well as by recruiting patients and developing new animal models.
Organization chart: https://dhns-inserm.fr/unite/
The unit's research tools and strategies include animal models of diseases and lesions of the nervous system, neural cell cultures, organotypic cultures of brain or spinal cord slices, the study of cell signalling mechanisms, the regulation of disease gene expression by small interfering RNAs, the use of small neuroactive molecules, as well as exploratory research at the cellular, genetic and epigenetic levels.
➜ More about N-BIPS: https://dhns-inserm.com/