PRESENTATION OF THE FEDERATIVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE 53

"Cell-Microenvironment Interactions: cancer, inflammation, infections, aging"

IFR 53 includes all the recognized research teams of the “Health” pole of the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne, grouped around a common scientific project entitled "Cell-Microenvironment Interactions: cancer, inflammation, infections, aging." This new title reflects the strong evolution of the IFR 53 thematics, the refocusing of activities that have been conducted in recent years and the willingness of the IFR to acquire a higher scientific profile, nationally and internationally recognized. The IFR teams are grouped around three axes:
Axis-I: cancer cells, microenvironment and tumor progression
Axis-II: cell-microenvironment interactions in infection, inflammation and tissue repair.
Axis-III: dynamic imaging and functional microscopies, microspectroscopies of living tissues and cells.
The topic “aging” is at the interface of these three axes.

The activity of the IFR 53 is based on methodological platforms, widely open to the outside and made available to academic and industrial partners:
-Dynamic and quantitative scale cell and tissue imaging.
-Molecular biology (platform common with the Reims University Hospital and the Institut Jean Godinot, Regional Center for the Fight Against Cancer).
-Tumor bank of Champagne-Ardenne and of the Cancéropôle Grand Est,
-Conventional and transgenic animal facility
-Cytometry and Cell Sorting,
-Peptide synthesis,
-Proteomics.
The activity of the IFR 53 also relies on interactions with clinician teams, particularly with the center of clinical research and investigation of the University Hospital of Reims and the Institut Jean Godinot. The research groups that make the IFR 53 have also established numerous national and international collaborations.

IFR 53 currently consists of two units associated with CNRS, two units associated with INSERM, five teams recognized by the French Ministry of Research.

IFR 53 is installed in 6000 m2 of laboratories that are grouped in the “Biomolecules” building on the campus of the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy at the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne. The IFR has, in addition, a reserve area of about 600 m2 for hosting new research teams. Welcoming new teams will be one of the priorities of the IFR for years to come.

In terms of training and research, IFR 53 participates in the doctoral school “Science, Technology and Health” at the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne. It welcomes in its laboratories a hundred doctoral students, thirty post-docs and forty students at the Master level. Its teams are heavily involved in the life of the doctoral school. They organize or participate in several Masters from the University of Reims-Champagne-Ardenne:
- Pathophysiology of cell-microenvironment interactions.
- Biotechnologies and Health: engineering and therapeutic strategies.
- Molecular Chemistry.
- Drugs: structures, synthesis and regulation.
- Production and industrial exploitation of natural substances.

The scientific animation of the IFR includes thematic seminars and conferences organized at regular intervals, workshops and technology presentations, especially by young researchers. Every two years, IFR 53 will organize an international scientific conference open to the outside world, bringing together top scientists on topics related to those developed in the IFR.

Altogether, teams of the IFR 53 wish to develop cross-cutting programs based on national and international collaborations, by pooling methodological platforms and researchers and developing strong interactions with teams of clinicians, for development of a true translational research.