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As early as 2004, Luc Dupuis discovered that a high-calorie diet made it possible to prolong the life of mice suffering from Charcot's disease (ALS). Since then, practices on men have been transformed. His work has just been rewarded.

• By Handicap.fr / Juliette Lamy

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"Curing mice is very good, but I want to get to the patient," says Luc Dupuis resolutely. I wish that at the end of my career, several new treatments would have emerged. This Strasbourg neuroscientist conducts research in the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Also called Charcot's disease in France, this particularly serious condition leads to death in three to five years, after progressive paralysis associated with weight loss. As early as his thesis in 2004, Luc Dupuis discovered that a high-calorie diet made it possible to prolong the life of affected mice. "The surprise was total," he says. At the time, it was considered rather that, in the face of developing paralysis, it was better to reduce body mass and therefore lose weight. Since then, practices have changed: reference centers for the disease prescribe a high-calorie diet to patients.

A researcher specializing in ALS

Luc Dupuis is a researcher at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) in neurosciences, but also director of the "Central and peripheral mechanisms of neurodegeneration" unit in Strasbourg, and scientific director of the Center for Research in biomedicine of Strasbourg. A specialist in Charcot's disease, he seeks to identify the source of the symptoms and to develop new therapies. His laboratory within the Faculty of Medicine of Strasbourg has already made several discoveries in this field.

treatment for spasticity

The researcher thus discovered the source of muscle stiffness, also called spasticity, which is encountered in people affected by the disease. These are brain cells, serotonin neurons, whose action is controlled by at least two receptors. Luc Dupuis and his team succeeded in treating spasticity in mice with ALS by giving them drugs targeting the second of these receptors. "The application in humans could be rapid because, as these are molecules used for other conditions, their absence of toxicity has already been verified", rejoices the researcher. The treatment could also be used against spasticity in people with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

Awarded with a prize

To encourage his work, the Fondation de France, which allocates ten million euros each year to fundamental and applied research teams carrying out innovative and daring projects, awarded Luc Dupuis, on February 15, 2018, the Éliane and Gérard prize. Pauthier, dedicated to rare diseases. "It was a question of finding and encouraging a team totally invested and with results already in the search for this terrible disease which has not yet been conquered", explained the two founders of this prize. Luc Dupuis thus has a budget of 20,000 euros to continue his research. In 2017, twelve other projects were supported: the regeneration of essential cells, eye malformations, obesity, cancers, alcoholism, etc.

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