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Launch of the VBHI University-Hospital Institute

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On Thursday 11th July 2024, the VBHI (Vascular Brain Health Institute) University-Hospital Institute was officially launched in the presence of representatives of all it's founding institutions. This new institute in Bordeaux is committed to conducting cutting-edge research on cerebral diseases.

Photo : Stéphanie Debette, director of the Vascular Brain Health University-Hospital Institute (VBHI) during the launch, July 11th 2024 © Gautier Dufau
Stéphanie Debette, director of the Vascular Brain Health University-Hospital Institute (VBHI) during the launch, July 11th 2024 © Gautier Dufau

Cerebrovascular health is a major public health issue worldwide: strokes are the second most common cause of death in the world and the leading cause of death among women in France, affecting 100 million people globally. Strokes can also lead to dementia, which affects 57 million people worldwide. It is estimated that 400 million people suffer from small cerebral vessel disease, which can lead to the serious consequences mentioned above.

Stéphanie Debette, professor at the University of Bordeaux and Bordeaux University Hospital, and director of the Bordeaux Population Health research centre (University of Bordeaux, Inserm), presented this institute, which promotes transformative research. Such research will lead to better prevention of strokes and dementia as well as better care for the millions of people currently affected in France and around the world.

The VBHI University-Hospital Institute focuses on three challenges:

  • Preventing the onset of strokes by detecting lesions in cerebral vessels at an early stage, in particular via imaging with the support of artificial intelligence,
  • care for those currently suffering from the disease, in particular through the development of drug treatments using new therapeutic approaches,
  • and the fight against global disparities in cerebrovascular health, with disorders affecting disadvantaged populations more severely, both in terms of prevalence and severity.

 

The launch of this new University-Hospital Institute dedicated to brain vascular health also demonstrates the influence of the University of Bordeaux ecosystem, which is now home to two University-Hospital Institutes on its campus. This institute further positions the University of Bordeaux as a leading university in the field of biomedical research on a national scale.

Dean Lewis, president of the University of Bordeaux

Founding institutions

The institute is coordinated by the University of Bordeaux and supported by Bordeaux University Hospital, Inserm, Inria and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region.

VBHI University-Hospital Institute official website

Access the website (in French)

Two round tables punctuated the launch, illustrating the diversity of the institutions involved in the institute and the central role role played by innovation in VBHI's operations. 

Biomedical and technological innovation as seen by the VBHI

This round table brought together speakers with a wide range of scientific, medical and technological expertise (neurology, public health, neurosciences, chemistry, physiology, imaging, artificial intelligence, etc.), illustrating the multidisciplinary nature of the institute, which aims at developing research focused on innovation extending from the population to the patient's bedside (translational research).

This pursuit of innovation is illustrated by multiple projects. Among which, the objective of discovering new drugs by repositioning existing therapeutic molecules and generating new innovative therapeutic compounds, prevention and personalised ("precision") medicine, and the development of new medical imaging technologies that are less costly, less energy-intensive and more mobile (low-field MRI), facilitating early diagnosis of small cerebral vessel disease and enabling treatment to be optimised.

Innovation for prevention and treatment as seen by the VBHI

The meeting of speakers with complementary expertise (doctors, representatives of patient associations, researchers, etc.) illustrated the institute's integrated approach to tackling the challenges of better prevention and management of cerebrovascular disease.

Drawing in particular on the testimony of the association "AVC tous concernés" ("Stroke, all involved"), the speakers highlighted the need to develop preventive approaches that are implemented earlier and more effectively, in order to target as many people as possible, with the aim of reducing inequalities in access in France and around the world, while at the same time being more personalised - taking into account the diversity of biological profiles of diseases and the specific characteristics, particularly genetic, of each individual. Involving patients in research was also mentioned as a success factor, particularly through concrete actions such as 'living labs' in New Aquitaine.
The importance of close partnerships with innovative international institutions, including in countries in the global south (in fundamental, clinical and public health research) was highlighted.

The VBHI institute has received financial support from the French government within the framework of France 2030 programme, managed by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche under the reference "ANR-23-IAHU-0001".