Integration, transversality, multidisciplinarity – the Institute for Translational Research in Inflammation (INFINITE) is the only one of its kind in the world. It conducts an international-level scientific and medical research to understand and to treat inflammatory diseases. INFINITE brings together some 120 researchers organized in open, cross-disciplinary groups to study inflammatory diseases, with the objective of providing new specific treatment solutions for patients.
Fields of expertise
- Clinical observation and follow-up
- Chronic inflammatory diseases
- Environment
- Epidemiology
- Fibrosis
- Immunity
- Immunology
- Inflammation
- Microbiology
- Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design
- Molecular modeling
- Nutrition
- Pathophysiology of epithelia
- Regenerative medicine
- Surgery
- Therapeutic innovation
At the heart of one of the largest European hospital complexes
INFINITE brings together many complementary groups around common scientific goals – a key asset to address the complexity of inflammatory diseases and an innovation accelerator for patient care. INFINITE is based at the heart of Lille University Hospital (CHU), one of Europe’s largest hospital complexes, thus getting direct access to clinicians, technology platforms and clinical research centers.
History
2001 – 2010
Strong expertise in chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Founded in 2001, the U995 laboratory headed by Professor Pierre DESREUMAUX gastroenterologist, was first established as an excellence research laboratory in the field of chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The laboratory teams, gathering 25 researchers in 2010, became experts in the understanding of the pathophysiological phenomena and in the identification of new therapeutic targets.
2010 – 2015
Research extension to other types of inflammation
Over five years, the U995 laboratory increased its scientific activities threefold and extended its expertise to other inflammatory diseases, thus becoming a reference scientific center in the area of inflammation.
2015 – 2019
The birth of an international research center
The LIRIC U995 consisted of 7 teams with a common objective: to understand and treat inflammatory diseases. The LIRIC was a multi-teams research center that seeks to characterize the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory diseases, aging and candidiasis, and thus identify innovative biomarkers and develop novel therapeutic strategies.
2020 – today
A research laboratory focused on inflammation: from origin to consequences
INFINITE U1286 results of the restructuration of the LIRIC center into a multidisciplinary single team laboratory. INFINITE, headed by Dr Laurent DUBUQUOY, Inserm research director and Pr David LAUNAY, internal medicine, focuses solely on inflammation, from its origins to its consequences. INFINITE uses digestive and systemic inflammatory diseases as models to assess the origin of inflammation, its pathophysiology, and its consequences (fibrosis and impaired regeneration). INFINITE develop innovative biomarkers and treatments for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (also referred to as immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, IMIDs). The INFINITE projects are organized around 4 interconnected workpackages.