Presentation
Based on the expertise developed in Normandy and with the support of the Cancéropôle Nord-Ouest on the links between CANCER and BRAIN, the CANCER and COGNITION platform (Prof. F. Joly, Centre F. Baclesse, Unit 1080 ANTICIPE, Caen – PLATON Service Unit) addresses the assessment, understanding, and management of the mechanisms underlying cognitive complaints or neuropsychological disorders induced by cancer and its treatments.
Our objectives are to:
• Provide innovative multidisciplinary approaches to better identify and understand disorders,
• Develop appropriate neuropsychological tests,
• Implement strategies to help patients maintain their quality of life,
• Participate in the development of new molecules by studying their impact on cognitive functions.
One of the main missions of the Cancer and Cognition platform is to put its expertise at the service of the scientific community, cancer research groups, and industry. Since 2017, it has provided methodological support in response to requests for expertise from several entities, including pharmaceutical companies, cooperative groups, associations, and academic researchers.
Expertise
The Cancer and Cognition platform conducts clinical, neuropsychological, and preclinical studies to identify/confirm potential treatment-induced cognitive disorders and better understand the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. New projects on the platform focus in particular on new cancer therapies, whose effects on cognition are largely unknown and little studied during the development of molecules. Thus, the projects stem directly from medical innovation and the need to improve knowledge about the potential side effects of these treatments, with a view to improving patients’ quality of life.
In response to patients’ cognitive complaints, the platform focuses on cognitive rehabilitation approaches such as cognitive stimulation, cognitive training, coaching by a neuropsychologist, adapted physical activity, and nutritional supplementation. To this end, it is essential to also conduct studies to better identify and understand patients’ needs and expectations. Find our main studies: https://www.cancerandcognition.com/our-works/
Services
The platform developed four areas of focus: 1) Clinical research, 2) Neuropsychology, 3) Preclinical research and biomarkers, and 4) Biostatistics. We propose expertise, tools, and models to the scientific and industrial community.
- Preclinical expertise and biomarkers: Evaluating the neurobiological mechanisms and behavioral effects of cancer and its treatments in animals (Rouen).
- Clinical expertise: As part of your clinical trials: understanding the impact of molecules, drugs, and treatment strategies (Caen).
- Neuropsychological expertise: Assessing the cognitive impact and brain damage caused by cancer and its treatments (Caen).
- Biostatistical expertise: Designing studies and analyzing the data obtained (Caen).
The preclinical and biomarkers field focuses on mouse models with behavioral and neurobiological assessments to understand the role of cancer itself, the neurological (including cognitive) toxicity of new therapies, and to better understand neurophysiological mechanisms. The study of plasma/salivary/tumor biomarkers in patients and animal models, supplemented by neurobiological analyses of brain sections and the search for peripheral and central biomarkers in animals, will improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved, suggest avenues for prevention, and enable us to better target at-risk individuals. These preclinical models also allow for the evaluation of cognitive prevention/compensation measures. Developments are focusing on preclinical research into i) in vivo animal models of fatigue, and even complex mouse models combining the presence of cancers and the effects of combination therapies, and ii) on Organoid models based on patients’ iPS cells, which can be used to test the toxicity of cancer therapies on brain function and to model links between the nervous system and cancer.
To use our services: https://www.cancerandcognition.com/our-services/contact/
Contact
ContactPreclinical and Biomarkers Axis:
Tel : (+33) 0235146623
Cancer and Cognition platform
