2022 was a particularly eventful year, with the development of strategic cross-functional projects, the creation of a team to accelerate our digital transformation, the strengthening of our quality tools, and growth in our activities, particularly in adult clinical trials. Finally, a major step was taken in the deployment of our Foundation ambition, with the signing of the sale commitment for the acquisition of a plot of land and the selection of the architect for our future building.
We are well on the way to achieving our ambition of “Muscle, a public health issue” in the interests of everyone, and neuromuscular patients in particular.
In 2022, we have reached a historic milestone in the deployment of our Myology Foundation project, which we have been pursuing since the creation of the Institute of Myology in 1996. Our ambition is commensurate with the public health challenge we face, in line with our general interest strategy and our missions.
/ MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT – LAURENCE TIENNOT-HERMENT
In 2022, we reached an historic milestone in the development of our Myology Foundation project, which we have been pursuing since the creation of the Institute of Myology in 1996. The agreement signed at the end of December for the purchase of a plot of land adjacent to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris and the choice of architects mark the start of the construction of a 10,000 m2 building that embodies our desire to give a new dimension to myology, from diseased muscle to healthy, ageing, trained muscle, and to attract the best national and international expertise and innovations, in particular through cutting-edge platforms and start-ups able to transform research into therapeutic solutions.
Our ambition is commensurate with the public health challenges we face, in line with our public interest strategy and our missions. For generations, our families affected by neuromuscular diseases have known first-hand how vital muscle is, not only for its role in all our motor functions, but also for the major role it plays in our respiratory and cardiac functions. Through research carried out at the Institute of Myology, in particular, over the years we have gained a better understanding of its transversal role and its interactions with numerous organs and biological mechanisms.
Throughout our lives, our muscles help to boost our immune system, fight cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease and the recurrence of certain cancers, prevent hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity and musculoskeletal disorders, and maintain our memory, etc. And with an increasing number of trials (50 underway at the Institute of Myology) and the arrival of the first innovative therapies for neuromuscular diseases long considered incurable, it is now clear that muscle is a model organ, a source of therapeutic innovation.
Yes, muscle is a real public health issue, as demonstrated by the conference we organised on 1 June 2023, at the start of a week of information and awareness-raising for the general public dedicated to this vital organ. Myology, the science and medicine of muscle, must therefore be better known and taught. This is the message we are sending out today, with conviction and strength, for the benefit of patients and the general public.
// MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY GENERAL – DR VINCENT VARLET,
« The quest for excellence and innovation is a core element of our missions and our partnerships. »
For 2022, the teams have taken a look ahead to the next 3, 5 or 10 years in order to imagine an environment where we need to move faster, all together, in order to meet patients’ expectations. The prospect of the Foundation’s future building is a metronome that also sets the pace for our activities, so that we can build a model of synergy and efficiency for the selected projects that will be supported and housed. This transition, in line with our strategic plan, must mobilise the energies of all the members of the Institute of Myology in order to challenge our practices, production, partnerships and skills. New profiles have joined us this year, bringing new expertise that is essential if we are to achieve our objectives.
Our ambitious roadmap will also include developing our visibility and disseminating our work, training materials and recommendations to better serve the myology community, both in France and internationally.
/// MESSAGE FROM MEDICAL & SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR – PR BERTRAND FONTAINE
« The ramp-up of our Adult clinical trials platform and the progress of our research projects are accelerating the care of neuromuscular patients and access to innovative treatments and care.»
2022 was a significant year on the clinical front, with the continued development of our I-Motion Adult clinical trials platform. This platform, which is part of our service of Neuro-Myology , will strengthen our clinical activities and diagnostic expertise, as well as our therapeutic management and patient support throughout the treatment process, in close collaboration with our research teams. Psychological support for patients and their families is another of the service’s strengths. The I-Motion Paediatric and Adult clinical research platforms carry out therapeutic trials to the highest international standards, recruiting patients of all ages and nationalities for Phase 1 to 3 clinical trials (therapeutic or otherwise), registries and natural history studies, to promote access to innovative treatments for all patients. The Neuromuscular Investigation Center has a new director who is uniting the teams around high-performance tools for assessing muscle and its diseases, whether through medical imaging, morphology, muscle tissue collection or muscle strength assessment. This should enable better interaction with the service of Neuro-Myology and Myology Centre for Research teams.
The data collected since the Institute was set up in 1996 is currently being mapped, and should form the basis of a ‘muscle’ data warehouse that will enable new research to be carried out, thanks in particular to the development of algorithms and artificial intelligence.
At the Myology Centre for Research, the teams have resumed their projects, which were sometimes slowed down or interrupted during the COVID epidemic. The number of publications and patent applications has returned to an intensive pace. Our researchers, engineers, technicians, post-doctoral and doctoral students are all fully committed to advancing myology research. The Institute coordinates the ERN Euro-NMD (European Reference Network on Neuromuscular Diseases), which continues to develop as a major player and international centre of reference and expertise in muscle and myology.
Download the Rapport Annuel et Financier 2022 de l’Institut de Myologie (in French)
