Objectives
Our objectives are to address major health concerns related to the urogenital tract, namely:
- the sexual dissemination of viruses, and the consequences of viral infections of the urogenital tract on fertility and cancers
- the increase of male urogenital tract abnormalities (testis cancer, hypospadias and cryptorchidism), which can lead to infertility, as well as the increase of medical consultations for ovarian deficiency
- the potential deleterious effects of anti-cancer treatments on fertility
- the poor efficacy of conventional anti-cancer drugs on kidney cancer
Research Axes
The team's research is organized around four axes:
- Axis 1 focuses on viral infections of the urogenital tract and mechanisms related to the persistence of viruses in semen, with a focus on HIV and emerging viruses such as Zika virus.
- Axis 2 analyzes the impact on the genital tract of endocrine disruptors in the environment, alone or in cocktails, and develops predictive toxicology approaches.
- Axis 3 examines the consequences of common drugs such as analgesics as well as anti-cancer treatments on the urogenital tract in men and women.
- Axis 4 focuses on the gene expression program in the gonads during fetal development and adulhood, to better understand the abnormalities of the urogenital tract that can be induced by our environment.
Development of Innovative Tools
In the frame of our researches, we are also committed to the development of innovative tools in bio-informatics, cellular and molecular biology.
