Research policy | Le Blog de Ben-Ari

Pesticides and birds: a death foretold

28 February 2024 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

We have been told for some time, particularly since the pioneering work of Rachel Carlson, that insects and birds are disappearing at an alarming rate. In a recent study carried out by a conglomerate of 50 researchers from 28 European countries by a team from Montpellier (Vincent Devictor) explains to us how they proceeded to … Read more

Life is a collective work: we depend on interactions between species

26 February 2024 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

Since Darwin, we have all known that we are the product of evolution and are therefore linked to those who preceded us. Since Lamarck, we also know that acquired characters can be transmitted and that DNA is only one of the vehicles in this long chain: there is also an evolution of acquired characters not … Read more

Earthworms deserve the Nobel Prize for ecology and agriculture

23 February 2024 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

Earthworms – the well-known earthworm – had already attracted the attention of Darwin who devoted a volume of work to them… Their incredible benefits are finally slowly becoming a major subject. Consider that their ability to stimulate plant growth is unparalleled, their presence in the soil increases harvests by 25%, to match the millions invested … Read more

An ethical problem of marketing authorizations: my recent scientific article

21 February 2024 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

In order to put a drug on the market, clinical trials are required which culminate in a large so-called phase 3 trial. This requires the recruitment of thousands of patients and compare those who receive the treatment versus a placebo. There must be a statistically significant difference between treated and placebo on 1 criterion called … Read more

Yoram Palti – from pure biophysics to the treatment of Glioblastoma

22 December 2023 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

Paths of discovery are complex and rarely follow a well-established linear path; Basic research initially without any medicinal profit motives are always the starting point. Here, we are talking about an Outstanding Biophysicist from Jerusalem and then from the Technion in Haifa who started with a simple idea: we treat a number of neurological and … Read more

Sedentary lifestyle and cancers: convincing data!

20 December 2023 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

We have known for a long time that the earlier we detect cancer, the greater the chance of reducing it with the usual treatments – chemo and radio and different molecules. It has also long been suspected that a sedentary lifestyle makes things worse; physical activity ranging from walking to exercises that activate the cardiovascular … Read more

Changing software to understand and treat autism: the importance of studying maternity and birth

26 June 20235 August 2020 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

First published in Médecine & Sciences The data on autism are well known: the impact is strong, because -with an incidence of 1,4%- this disease affects communication, which an essential function at the heart of our modern societies. And yet, despite the successive “autism plans” and the sometimes huge sums invested (hundreds of millions of … Read more

Why is it so difficult for politicians to understand scientific research?

26 June 202330 July 2020 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

First published in french in Médecine et Sciences Research funding suffers from well-known but not understood by generations of politicians’ issues. We are still far from the 3% of GDP required to get back on the saddle and which are occasionally promised before one election or another. However, even those who complain that the rank … Read more

An excitatory GABAergic pathway allows the sodium to regulate our clock time

26 June 202323 July 2020 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

A new study, published in Nature by researchers from McGill University, shows that increased sodium concentration in the blood may influence the circadian rhythm of mice via an excitatory GABAergic pathway. Our circadian rhythm is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which coordinates physiological and behavioral changes to anticipate changes related to our 24-hour cycle. … Read more

Fake news: earthworms can replace animal testing on mammals

23 June 20239 May 2018 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

We live in a great world! Our goal is to simplify everything, to quickly diagnose diseases with genetics and big data, and now, we don’t even need to go through preclinical studies on mammals. These wonderful worms with a thousand cells, a super simple nervous system compared to the trillions of connections in the human … Read more

After the intelligence gene, the faith gene… here’s the empathy gene !

23 June 20232 May 2018 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

A recent publication has been hailed by the media as the proof that empathy has a genetic origin. It is unfortunate that journalists do not bother to read scientific articles properly and learn about the limitations of what is shown in this article as in others that suggest that autism is genetic at 15-25%, schizophrenia … Read more

AN ANSWER TO ERWAN BÉZARD

23 June 202325 April 2018 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

Following the recent publication of a paper called “GABAergic inhibition in dual-transmission cholinergic and GABAergic striatal interneurons is abolished in Parkinson disease“, Erwan Bézard, director of the Neurodégénérative Diseases Institute of Bordeauxpublished a commentary, that you can find here. Here’s our answer: First of all, we always pay attention to discussions and criticisms and we welcome … Read more

Bumetanide strikes again in the arena of neurological disorders: a novel therapeutic approach to treat Parkinson’s disease

23 June 202313 April 2018 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

A new study led by Prs. Yehezkel Ben-Ari & Constance Hammond (Neurochlore and B&A Therapeutics, Marseille, France) demonstrates that bumetanide, an antagonist of the NKCC1 chloride importer, normalizes the activity of neurons in the striatum and alleviates motor impairment in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. These findings corroborate the results of a pilot clinical … Read more

Plea for biomedical innovation

23 June 202312 January 2018 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

A large part of the therapeutic applications of biomedical research is generated in innovation incubators. More than 70% of new drugs come from discoveries made by small structures close to academic research, which have a greater capacity for innovation than larger companies. These ones invest in start-ups by buying them or acquiring licenses. With a … Read more

Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master

23 June 20238 November 2017 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

The Paper of Yves Frégnac in Science raises major issues that are on the convergence of the paucity of concepts in science, the evaluation and financing of scientific investigations and the false promises of big programs to understand the brain and treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. The incredible acceleration of technological advances attested every day … Read more

Scientific fraud: when «publish or perish » leads to the distortion of reality

23 June 20232 November 2017 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

The increase of scientific frauds and publications that are not reproductible is a major concern that has been analyzed many times. So-called leading journals have more and more retractations, articles considered major and opening up new perspectives are abandoned because based on tampered or “arranged” results, even emanating from prestigious laboratories. These frauds, however, have … Read more

Why is it so hard to reform scientific research?

23 June 202326 October 2017 by Yehezkel Ben-Ari

In a refreshing article, an American scientist proposes a series of changes to improve the functioning of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the leading scientific research institutions in the US. Despite the differences in the organization of science in the US and Europe, it is interesting to note the similarity in the criticisms … Read more