For 25 years, world-class fundamental research has been developed in Lille in the field of diabetes, obesity and associated cardio-metabolic diseases.

Since its creation in 1995, the Lille research group in human genetics UMR 1283/8199 “(Epi) Functional genomics and Molecular Physiology of Diabetes and Associated Diseases”, (INSERM, CNRS, Univ Lille, IPL, CHU Lille) directed by Philippe Froguel, is recognized as a world leader in the field of genetics of diabetes and obesity.

The UMR 1011 group “Nuclear receptors, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes” (INSERM, Univ Lille, CHU Lille, IPL) led by Bart Staels has acquired a similar reputation in the field of physiopathology and the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

These two groups have developed complementary approaches combining human and animal genomics with cellular and molecular biology and physiology to elucidate the etiologies of these diseases. The main discoveries of these 2 groups include the discovery of different primary mechanisms of pancreatic dysfunction of T2DM (in particular the genes of MODY and neonatal diabetes, and recently the first exploration of the T2D genome by DNA chips), the identification of genes regulating appetite (leptin / melanocortin pathway, and recently the FTO gene), as well as the role of nuclear receptors such as “PPARs” in insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases and their application as therapeutic targets in the treatment of these pathologies.

Close links have been established between researchers from two teams, as well as with the UMR 1190 “Translational Research on Diabetes” team (CHU Lille, INSERM, Univ Lille, IPL) directed by François Pattou, in order to consolidate the approaches genomics through the use of new cellular models of human origin. This team has indeed acquired unique expertise in France for the preparation of human pancreatic islets (and more generally in the establishment of tissue banks of human origin) and has contributed to several significant advances in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. by cell therapy.