ANSES and the University of Rennes 1 have long developed numerous scientific collaborations around research projects, particularly in terms of toxicology, infectiology, bioresistance, plant nematology, exposure to electromagnetic waves and even study of biofilms.
These collaborations focused in particular on work on food safety, targeted on bacterial biofilms, carried out by the biological engineering department of the IUT of Saint-Brieuc. ANSES is also supporting projects by the Institute for Nutrition, Metabolism and Cancer (NuMecan – University of Rennes 1/Inserm/INRA) relating to the effect of chronic low-dose exposure to a cocktail of pesticides on the liver, the establishment of a model for studying early microbiota-host interactions, or the development of a platform of porcine intestinal organoids to limit the use of animals for toxicological and metabolic studies.
As actors in research in the field of life sciences, the two institutions have therefore decided to strengthen their joint actions around key questions with high health stakes. This partnership will result in particular in the creation of a Research and Expertise Group on the Exposome (GREEX) with the Institute for Research in Health, Environment and Work (Irset – University of Rennes 1/Inserm/EHESP) with with which ANSES has been collaborating for many years, in particular through the support of several research projects on environmental pollutants and endocrine disruptors.
GREEX aims to develop a systemic and integrated biology approach to living organisms, from molecules to animal and human populations in their environment, via multidisciplinary projects. This project will make it possible to better characterize, assess and prioritize health risks in all their diversity, and in particular multiple exposures, also including the dimensions of occupational health.
On the other hand, within the framework of this agreement, ANSES and the University of Rennes 1 will continue their work to contribute in particular to the creation of the new Carnot institute “Agri Food Transition”.
These different areas of collaboration are part of a common approach that places the health of the environment as a major determinant of the health and well-being of human and animal populations and of plant health. Through this agreement, the two institutions demonstrate their commitment to cutting-edge research in this field with an international vocation, multidisciplinary and open to the world.
About the University of Rennes 1
Ranking among the top 12 French universities, the University of Rennes 1 has four main research sectors: mathematics and ICST, material and material sciences, life and environmental sciences, law-economics-management. The establishment has 30,000 students, 3,300 staff, 30 research units associated with national bodies, and issues more than 250 doctoral degrees each year.
About ANSES
ANSES’s central role is to assess health risks in order to inform public action in the fields of food, the environment, work, animal health and welfare and plant health. Through its missions of expertise, research, monitoring and surveillance, it intervenes on the biological and chemical hazards that can affect animal health, plant health and food safety. Its opinions and recommendations, which are systematically made public, help to clarify decisions and fuel public debate.
Credit photo: UR1/DirCom/F.OBÉ