Antoine Muchir works at the Myology Centre for Research in Gisele Bonne’s team and will represent the Institute of Myology during the event.
You will be actively involved in the next Telethon, have you ever participated to this event ?
I have been involved in the Telethon for the past couple of decades. During my PhD studies, I remember mapping all the sidewalks of Paris for wheelchair access with an association.
So this year, when I’ve been offered to make further commitment in this 30th Telethon as a researcher, and to represent the Institute of Myology, I accepted immediately. Right now, this is still the image side, spending half a day in a photo studio is both new and interesting to me. Later on, there will be the shooting of a video clip and then the official launch of the event, in mid-September at the Pavillon Baltard. I will be involved along with two other researchers during the events surrounding this Telethon.
Why did you choose to get that much committed?
It’s important for me to be able to share what researchers are doing, for once, to talk about our passion, to tell about the work in progress, with the simple words of the researcher, of the one who does this job . We have to be able to tell about progress in gene therapy, in cell therapy, progress in clinical trials for children.
Do you consider the contact with patients and their families during the Telethon as crucial ?
Personally, but I’m sure I’m not the only one, the Telethon is the year’s review and each time we start from scratch. We come back on monday morning invigorated, and we are ready to go to work when we have spend time with the children and their families throughout the weekend. It gives us a boost ! And at the same time, it’s tough, because I know I have no right to work as a dabbler, this is how I feel at the end of the Telethon. So each year, my goal is to produce new developments in research I can tell families about.
Have you been able to share moments with Leo ? You will be at his side particularly during the event as you work on cardiopathies in dystrophies, including DMD which Léo is suffering from.
I have indeed met him during the photo shoot, and I was so impressed by his maturity. For these children, you are researcher and so you are the one who gives hope. The only one thing to do then is going back to work!
Concerning my researches, each molecular pathway and each treatment I test on my EDMD models in the heart, may be applied to other muscular dystrophies, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The genetic origin is different, but pathophysiology is the same, and we operate downstream on altered molecular pathways, this is translational.
You uselly participate to Piedthone, the race organized by the Institute of Myology to raise funds for the Telethon, will you be able to run this year, after a 30-hour television program ?
Well, after being the voice of the Institute for 30 hours, I will take some hours off and will of course be on the starting line on December 4th !
