Nearly 400 participants gathered at the 2025 French Society of Myology Conference (JSFM), which took place from 19 to 21 November 2025 in Aix-Les-Bains.
Focus on muscle imaging
During the conference, imaging was in the spotlight and various imaging techniques were presented, demonstrating its importance both in the upstream diagnostic process and in the monitoring of pathologies, for example to observe muscles or track the progression of myopathy over time: conventional and quantitative MRI (presentation by Benjamin Marty), or to observe muscle cells and their movements more closely using photonics microscopy, electron microscopy.
Bruno Cadot reminded the audience of the existence of the Muscle Atlas, the first image database on muscles created by researchers at the Institute of Myology, which already contains more than 6,000 photos of characterised muscle biopsies. This is a valuable tool for accelerating research, exploring therapeutic avenues and assisting in diagnosis.
Three awards for researchers and clinicians from the InstituteÂ
Three contributors from the Institute of Myology were honoured at the conference.
In addition, Dimitrios Kourtzas, winner of the 2024 Master’s Prize, presented the progress of his research work.
Marion Benoist is a PhD student in the Muscle Cell Organisation and Therapy of Dominant Centronuclear Myopathy team led by Stéphane Vassilopoulos.
She is the winner of the Fundamental Research Poster Award.
Her thesis focuses on studying the regulation of two mechanosensitive transcription factors (YAP and TAZ) by plasma membrane proteins (Clathrin, Dynamin 2).
The part presented at the JSFM focused on the defect in their regulation in autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy. The results are currently being published.
Poster  Marion Benoist: Dynamin 2 and clathrin plaques as central nodes in YAP/TAZ-mediated mechanotransduction
Dr BĂ©atrice Labella, a neurologist, is an expert in muscle pathology and works with Dr Teresinha Evangelista in the Morphological Unit.
She received the Clinical Research Poster Award for her work on pain perception during and after open muscle biopsy, as well as possible complications. The results of her observational study show that muscle biopsy is a very well-tolerated procedure with no serious complications. For the first time, the impact of preoperative anxiety and other factors such as the doctor-patient relationship are explored, which emerged as very important and predictive factors in patients’ perception of pain.
Poster BĂ©atrice Labella:Â Psychosocial determinants of pain in muscle biopsy: a patient view
Pierre Klein is postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Research in Myology in the Repeat Expansions & Myotonic Dystrophy (REDs) team led by Denis Furling.
He was awarded the Impulsion Prize for his project âRole of the epitranscriptome in the pathophysiology of skeletal muscle: involvement of m6A RNA methylation in stem cell plasticityâ.
This prize supports postdoctoral researchers wishing to apply for research fellow positions.
âą Read his interview
