Latest news with #CNRS
Medscape
09-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Lysosomal Iron Catalyzes Cell Death in Resistant Cancers
A team from French research institutes Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Institut Curie, and Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm) has discovered a new class of molecules capable of inducing the death of cancer cells that are resistant to standard treatments. The study was published in Nature on May 7. Harnessing Iron's Properties in Cancer Cells 'In certain cancers, such as pancreatic cancer or sarcomas, therapeutic options are relatively limited,' Raphaël Rodriguez, research director at CNRS and co-author of the study, told Medscape's French edition . Current cancer treatments mainly target primary tumor cells but often fail to eliminate cells with metastatic potential, which are responsible for 70% of cancer-related deaths. To address this, the team developed a new class of molecules — phospholipid degraders — designed to destroy cancer cell membranes and trigger cell death via ferroptosis. 'We used the properties of iron in cancer cells with metastatic potential. These cells express high levels of the CD44 protein on their surface, which allows them to internalize iron — a resource they need to transform and adapt to standard treatments,' Rodriguez explained. This transformation, however, also makes them more vulnerable to ferroptosis, a form of cell death catalyzed by iron. Within lysosomes — the small organelles that break down cellular debris and foreign material — iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide, generating oxygen radicals. These radicals damage lysosomal membranes and initiate a chain reaction that spreads throughout the cell, leading to the formation of peroxidized lipids in the membranes of other organelles and ultimately causing cell death. 'We were the first to link cancer, adaptability, and vulnerability to ferroptosis. Cancer cells can adapt, but they don't have a thousand identities. They have two: one that proliferates and one that spreads. Today, we target proliferation. We also need to target dissemination,' said Rodriguez. Phospholipid Degraders The researchers developed phospholipid degraders that activate ferroptosis. These molecules contain one segment that targets the cell membrane, enabling penetration and accumulation in lysosomes. A second segment enhances iron reactivity in these compartments of pro-metastatic cancer cells, triggering ferroptosis. The molecules, named fentomycin-1 (Fento-1), were made fluorescent to confirm their lysosomal localization using fluorescence microscopy. 'Ferroptosis results from the cell's inability to repair membrane damage,' Rodriguez summarized. Reduction in Tumor Growth Tested on primary patient-derived cells, tumor organoids, human biopsies, and immunocompetent animal models, these molecules demonstrated greater efficacy than standard treatments. In preclinical models of metastatic breast cancer, Fento-1 led to a significant reduction in tumor growth. It also showed strong cytotoxic effects in biopsies of pancreatic cancers and angiosarcomas. 'The most interesting results come when we combine these molecules with current treatments. The response is even better,' emphasized Rodriguez. 'We're not saying our treatment will replace existing therapies. We need a combination,' he added. The next steps include toxicity studies, followed by clinical trials. 'Industry and investors should be interested in developing this new therapeutic strategy.' This work was supported by the Ligue Contre le Cancer (Les équipes labellisées), the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Fondation Charles Defforey - Institut de France, Klaus Grohe Foundation, Institut National du Cancer, Région Île-de-France, the French National Research Agency, Fondation Bettencourt Schueller, CNRS, Institut Curie, and Inserm.
Scoop
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
First Māori Voice Opens UN Oceans Conference, Pushing For Marine Legal Rights
NICE, FRANCE, 8 June 2025 The United Nations Oceans Conference commenced today with a significant opening address that championed the Rights of Nature for all marine life, including the groundbreaking concept of legal personhood for whales. This pivotal message was delivered by Dr. Mere Takoko, CEO of the Pacific Whale Fund, alongside Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Director of Research at CNRS and co-chair of the One Ocean Science Congress. French President Emmanuel Macron was in attendance, highlighting the global significance of these discussions for the future of our oceans. The opening presentation underscored the critical role of science and Indigenous knowledge to foster effective, culturally appropriate marine conservation and unlock vital nature finance. "Indigenous knowledge is not just a cultural heritage; it is a profound scientific methodology, honed over millennia of intimate coexistence with the ocean," stated Dr. Takoko. "Our traditional ecological insights are crucial for understanding marine ecosystems, their delicate balances, and the sustainable practices essential for their long-term health. This presentation marks a pivotal honour for the Pacific Whale Fund, demonstrating how Indigenous-led Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are a proven model for both ecological and financial success." The Pacific Whale Fund and Moananui Sanctuary Trust emphasise that integrating Indigenous knowledge and holistic frameworks, deeply rooted in interconnectedness, is essential for integrated marine restoration. These initiatives exemplify the power of blending traditional wisdom with modern science, not only delivering effective conservation outcomes but also ensuring cultural appropriateness and community well-being. The presentation served as a powerful call to action for global decision-makers to actively seek out and respectfully integrate Indigenous knowledge into all facets of marine conservation, recognising it as a powerful, proven pathway to a thriving ocean. The advocacy for the legal personhood of whales, a key initiative of the Pacific Whale Fund, represents a groundbreaking approach to marine protection, offering a new paradigm for our relationship with the ocean's most magnificent creatures. The Pacific Whale Fund is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to ocean conservation through innovative legal, financial, and cultural frameworks, championing the recognition of whales as legal persons and the establishment of protected marine sanctuaries guided by ancestral wisdom.
Observer
02-06-2025
- Science
- Observer
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
Brest: A global target of having 30 per cent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the United States backing away, conservationists say. "With less than 10 per cent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 per cent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 per cent target," said Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 per cent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because "we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts" to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 per cent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. "Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits" for fish, said Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said "The marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity" but "to increase fish catches". A proper MPA "exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas — they are needed to have fish", he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 per cent increase in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Trump's executive order, Pauly said. For such sanctuaries to work, there need to be fishing bans overall or at least some of their zones, Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 per cent of the ocean's area and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, "90 per cent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling," a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. "It's ecological nonsense." Pauly said that "bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed". Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. A recent WWF report said that just two per cent of European Union waters were covered by MPAs with management plans, even some with no protection measures included. The head of WWF's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong, said that was insufficient to protect oceanic health. Governments need to back words with action, he said, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map. — AFP
DW
02-06-2025
- Science
- DW
The Last Neanderthal – DW – 06/02/2025
Did Homo sapiens and Neanderthals share the same habitat for a long period of time? Excavations by a French research team at the Mandrin Cave suggest as much. The researchers' work has yielded even more astonishing findings. Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are a species of human that lived in Europe and Asia alongside modern humans (Homo sapiens) and became extinct around 40,000 years ago. Image: Arte France The extinction of the Neanderthals, the one species that dominated the Eurasian continent prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens, is one of the most puzzling topics in archeology. How were these two hominids connected? Was Homo sapiens partially responsible for the eradication of the Neandertals from planet Earth? Or did the two potentially coexist over several millennia? Image: Arte France A team of researchers led by archaeologist Ludovic Slimak are working in the Mandrin Cave to answer these very questions. Their findings are being examined by scientists from the French research organization CNRS, using state-of-the-art archaeological methods. Neanderthals probably lived in isolated groups. They therefore lacked the necessary genetic exchange that has greatly helped modern humans. This inbreeding could have been fatal. Image: Arte France The Mandrin Cave has been the focus of several excavations since 1991. In 2015, a new discovery was made: Fossilized remains from the late Neanderthal period. The individual belonged to one of the last Neanderthal lineages. The scientists succeeded in extracting genetic material from the root of one of 'Thorin's' molars, which could then be analysed. Image: Arte France The archaeologists dubbed him "Thorin'. The find suggests that for a long time, Neanderthals lived very close to the newly arrived Homo sapiens - and that the two groups probably crossed paths. Image: Arte France Ludovic Slimak and the scientists from the French research organization CNRS provide an insight into the extraordinary results of their work. Broadcasting Hours: DW English WED 11.06.2025 – 01:15 UTC WED 11.06.2025 – 04:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 09:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 16:15 UTC THU 12.06.2025 – 21:15 UTC FRI 13.06.2025 – 12:15 UTC SAT 14.06.2025 – 02:15 UTC SUN 15.06.2025 – 08:15 UTC Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8 London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3 San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries
Less than 10 per cent of the ocean has been designated as marine protected areas, despite the global target of 30 per cent by 2030. PHOTO: AFP BREST, France - A global target of having 30 per cent of the oceans become protected areas by 2030 is looking more fragile than ever, with little progress and the US backing away, conservationists say. 'With less than 10 per cent of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7 per cent fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30 per cent target,' said Dr Lance Morgan, head of the Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle, Washington. The institute maps the MPAs for an online atlas, updating moves to meet the 30 per cent goal that 196 countries signed onto in 2022, under the Kunling-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The ambition is notably at risk because 'we see countries like the US reversing course and abandoning decades of bipartisan efforts' to protect areas of the Pacific Ocean, Dr Morgan said. That referred to an April executive order by President Donald Trump authorising industrial-scale fishing in big swathes of an MPA in that ocean. Currently, there are 16,516 declared MPAs in the world, covering just 8.4 per cent of the oceans. But not all are created equal: some forbid all forms of fishing, while others place no roles, or almost none, on what activities are proscribed or permitted. 'Only a third of them have levels of protection that would yield proper benefits' for fish, said Dr Joachim Claudet, a socio-ecology marine researcher at France's CNRS. Dr Daniel Pauly, a professor of fisheries science at Canada's University of British Columbia, said 'the marine protected areas have not really been proposed for the protection of biodiversity' but 'to increase fish catches'. A proper MPA 'exports fish to non-protected zones, and that should be the main reason that we create marine protected areas – they are needed to have fish', he said. When fish populations are left to reproduce and grow in protected areas, there is often a spillover effect that sees fish stocks outside the zones also rise, as several scientific journals have noted, especially around a no-fishing MPA in Hawaiian waters that is the biggest in the world. One 2022 study in the Science journal showed a 54 per cent increase in yellowfin tuna around that Hawaiian MPA, an area now threatened by Mr Trump's executive order, Dr Pauly said. For such sanctuaries to work, there needs to be fishing bans over all or at least some of their zones, Dr Claudet said. But MPAs with such restrictions account for just 2.7 per cent of the ocean's area, and are almost always in parts that are far from areas heavily impacted by human activities. In Europe, for instance, '90 per cent of the marine protected areas are still exposed to bottom trawling,' a spokesperson for the NGO Oceana, Alexandra Cousteau, said. 'It's ecological nonsense.' Dr Pauly said that 'bottom trawling in MPAs is like picking flowers with a bulldozer... they scrape the seabed'. Oceana said French MPAs suffered intensive bottom trawling, 17,000 hours' worth in 2024, as did those in British waters, with 20,600 hours. The NGO is calling for a ban on the technique, which involves towing a heavy net along the sea floor, churning it up. Governments need to back words with action, or else these areas would be no more than symbolic markings on a map, said the head of the World Wildlife Fund's European office for the oceans, Jacob Armstrong. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
