Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale

The Mondor Institute of Biomedical Research (IMRB, Inserm U955 – University Paris Est Créteil, UPEC) is one of the leading biomedical research centers in eastern Paris region with a national and international reputation. It is rooted in COMUE “East Paris University” and is a driving force of the “Collegium Galilee” with the School of Medicine of Pierre and Marie Curie Paris 6 University. The IMRB has recently been successfully evaluated by the French Agency for Evaluation of Research (AERES) and recreated for 5 years beginning January 2015. It comprises 500 persons belonging to 17 research teams, and an administrative platform in charge of management of the Institute, logistic support for the teams and technology platforms.

The research teams are structured in 3 departments: “Viruses, Immunity, Cancer” (VIC, 5 teams); “Neuroscience and Psychiatry” (ESPRY, 4 teams), and “Pathophysiology of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, development and senescence” (PHYDES, 8 teams). The scientific output of the IMRB over the last 5 years amounts to nearly 900 publications and about 30 patents. In the field of training the IMRB assured in the same period the passage of nearly 100 university theses. Teams from IMRB are invested in several European projects and report 147 international collaborations with laboratories around the world, mainly Europe and America.

The main advantages of the IMRB are:

• A presence of a strong pole of clinical research including 3 University Hospitals, a Veterinary Teaching Hospital, a Clinical Investigation Center, a Biotherapy and Biological Resources Center, a Surgical Research Center, a unit of Cell Therapy of the French Blood Establishment, and 7 rare diseases reference centers. Moreover, in 2011 and 2012, teams of the IMRB participated to the creation of 3 University Hospital Departments (DHU) (over 3 requested) as a part of 16 DHU granted by the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, Inserm and Paris universities. These 3 DHU provide visibility of the main research axes of the Créteil site in the field of health. These DHU are behind the 3 departments of the IMRB.
• Its contribution to several French “Initiatives of excellence”, including the coordination of the RTRS (thematic network for research and care) “Fundamental” (Pr M. Leboyer), the coordination of the “Excellence Laboratory” (Labex) “Vaccine Research Institute” (Prof. Y. Levy) which is based on the platform of immuno-monitoring recently developed on the Créteil site, the coordination of the cohort PsyCOH, and the participation in the psychiatry Labex BIOPSY (Prof. M. Leboyer). A team from the IMRB (Pr AC. Bachoud-Levi) participates to the Labex “Institute for Cognitive Studies” coordinated by the Ecole Normale Supérieure and another one (Pr P. Gaulard) to the Labex “CALYM” with the Institut Carnot. The Labex “Serenade” and the Equipex “Nano ID” also involve a team of the IMRB (Pr J. Boczkowski / Dr S. Lanone).
• The access to 4 technological platforms (genomics, imaging, flow cytometry and functional exploration of small animals), as well as to 3 common animal facilities allowing to host wild type and transgenic rodents and large animals respectively. Three of these platforms are certified ISO 9001. A new high-throughput sequencing platform, combined with bioinformatics platform, is currently under organization and a new animal facility meeting the most stringent international criteria and replacing the 3 existing ones will open early 2017. These developments indicate a strong commitment of the IMRB direction to be at the forefront of technological innovation to help researchers of the institute.

The amplification of the strengths of the institute, with stronger links with other institutions in eastern Paris region, the enhancement of national and international academic partnerships (including with engineering schools at the national level) and the link of teams with the industrial world, are areas for development of the institute for the coming years.

An approach is also committed to extend the ISO 9001 certification to certain activities of the IMRB.