On the occasion of World Immunology Day on April 29, delve into the heart of revolutionary science with Jacques Volkmann, Vice President of Research and Development at Sanofi in France.

“Immunology is a cutting-edge science that studies the body’s defenses,” explains Jack Folkman. “The immune system acts as a veritable watchtower for the body to protect us from some external attack such as viruses or bacteria. Immunology will try to understand how our bodies react to protect us by mobilizing a complex system of immune cells.”

Our immune system is involved in many mechanisms operating in the body. “It maintains a delicate balance. An imbalance can actually lead, for example, to increased inflammatory reactions. This will lead to various diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma and potentially other diseases… One goal will be to try to restore the balance to prevent or even Treating a defect in this immune system.

Another approach to immunology is related to vaccines. “These help prepare our immune system to effectively recognize and fight many infectious diseases. Thanks to the vaccine, some of them have completely disappeared. In addition, in areas such as immunology applied to oncology, it is sometimes necessary to wake up the immune system so that it recognizes cancer cells.” It is unnatural and is eliminated.”

Autoimmune diseases, when the system goes wrong

If the immune system is fighting external factors, this beautiful mechanism sometimes goes wrong. So much so that it attacks the natural components of our body and causes so-called autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis… We have made amazing progress in understanding autoimmunity. This is the case with type 1 diabetes, where pancreatic cells are often attacked from birth. We have succeeded in developing treatments to delay this destruction and prevent the onset of diabetes. »

Immunology, or with public health in mind

“Our main goal is to make a positive impact on the lives of patients and on society in general,” says Jack Volkman. “For example, prophylactic treatment against bronchiolitis virus in infants helps reduce complications and thus the number of hospitalizations. This has a positive impact on the entire healthcare system and on parental stress. Likewise, modern treatments against atopic dermatitis provide an effective alternative to corticosteroids.” , thus improving the quality of life of patients. We realize our social responsibility towards patients and those around them. Most of these diseases lead to the hospital or even emergency rooms, sometimes preventing them from working, and even preventing them from attending regular education.