Des chercheurs luxembourgeois et canadiens unissent leurs forces

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• Unité de Recherche sur la Biosurveillance Humaine

Un projet LIH retenu pour un financement dans le cadre du programme AUDACE

À la suite d’un premier appel à propositions en décembre 2020, un projet bilatéral impliquant l’Unité de recherche sur la biosurveillance humaine (HBRU) du Département de la santé de la population (DoPH) du LIH et l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) a été sélectionné le 29 mars pour un financement dans le cadre du programme AUDACE international « Québec-Luxembourg », une initiative conjointe du Fonds national de la recherche (FNR) du Luxembourg et du Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). Le programme vise à encourager des collaborations interdisciplinaires ou intersectorielles innovantes et à fort impact entre des scientifiques québécois et luxembourgeois.

The 24-month LIH-UQAM joint project BarCePE (A link between bariatric surgery and the brain? Endocrine disruptors in the dock), which obtained a EUR 125,000 grant under the programme, will be coordinated by Dr Brice Appenzeller, leader of HBRU, on the Luxembourg (LIH) side and by the UQAM Department of Psychology on the Canadian end. The project aims to assess metabolic and cognitive impairment linked to the release of pollutants stored in the adipose tissue following rapid weight loss after bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. Indeed, the rapid increase in circulating levels of some of these pollutants, namely endocrine disruptors, can have adverse postoperative consequences for the patient at various levels. BarCePE will therefore generate new insights into the cognitive impact of the disruption of the endocrine system

In line with the ethos of the AUDACE programme, our project will benefit from an interdisciplinary and cross-cutting approach, leveraging the complementary expertise of our consortium in human biomonitoring and psychology. This ‘dual lens’ methodology will allow us to provide a holistic view of the complex relationship between environmental pollutants, human metabolism and cognition, ultimately improving population health. We are extremely grateful to the FNR and the FRQ for investing in bold high-risk-high-reward research projects like BarCePE

says Dr Appenzeller.

Initially launched in 2017, AUDACE is an original research programme of the FRQ aiming to support bold research that deviates from traditional approaches, going beyond the existing paradigms of individual scientific cultures and fields of research. AUDACE therefore backs exploratory inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral initiatives with the potential to radically transform research, resulting in tangible scientific, social, economic, technological and cultural benefits. In May 2020, the FNR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FRQ to support bilateral Luxembourg-Canada projects in the framework of this programme.