Introduction à la recherche médicale

Introduction to Medical Research

• Research is a process to create scientific knowledge.
• Interdisciplinarity is crucial in health research.
• Two main types of research exist:
  • Fundamental research: creates knowledge without direct application. Examples include understanding nucleic acids and mRNA vaccines.
  • Applied/conventional research: focuses on application, with a specific objective from the start. Most medical research falls into this category.
• There is a difference between fundamental and applied/conventional research in health.
• Medical research is evolving rapidly due to advances in data, and in methods.

Scientific Method

• Observation is a key component of research.
• Scientific research requires an interaction between observation and theories/tools.
• Biology and clinical observations rely heavily on observation.
• Scientific knowledge evolves through revolutions and changes to dominant paradigms (understandings).
• Scientific progress is marked by paradigm shifts.

Biological Research

• Advances in sequencing technologies are rapidly changing the field of biology.
• The field has moved from studying individual genes to analyzing thousands or millions simultaneously.
• This requires a new set of tools to handle and interpret the large amounts of new data.
• Biological processes are complex, with multiple factors involved in determining how a living being functions.

Clincal Research

• Clinical research is regulated research involving human subjects.
• Clinical research is overseen by regulatory bodies to ensure ethical standards.
• Research conducted with patients must address differences by levels of risk.
• Different levels of clinical research include interventional and observational studies.
• Clinical trials (trials done with patients) are used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medicine and other therapies
• The conduct of clinical research is tightly governed by regulations and ethical guidelines.

Translational Research

• It bridges fundamental science to clinical application.
• It involves translating basic scientific knowledge into practical solutions (e.g., therapies).
• Translational research is important for moving discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic.
• It involves using animal models, or alternative in vitro models (like organoids) to study disease mechanisms.
• It needs to be carefully monitored due to ethical concerns involved when dealing with living creatures.

Therapeutic Revolution

• The development of vaccines and antibiotics.
• The rise of immunotherapies (especially important in oncology).
• The use of monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized patient treatment for many cancers.

Scientific Production

• Scientific knowledge is shared within the scientific community.
• Scientists communicate via publications/articles.
• Scientific publications have varying levels of rigor, and prestige and are evaluated on factors like citation counts.
• The impact factor of a journal shows how influential the published articles are in the field.

Research System in France

• French research is distributed between universities and research organizations.
• There is a challenge in coordination across these entities.
• French research institutions face difficulties compared to others in terms of rankings and international recognition.

Evolution of Knowledge Sharing

• Open access publication models are increasing in popularity.
• Preprints (pre-published papers) are increasingly used to share research earlier in the publication process.
• The rate of knowledge sharing has increased, mainly due to the rise of online platforms.

Other

• There are ethical concerns associated with research projects, especially in relation to clinical trials and experimentation on humans and non human species.
• There are significant financial challenges in terms of funding for collaborative projects.
• The role of large companies/industry and funding in medical research is significant and often the subject of discussion and debate.

Ce quiz aborde les fondements de la recherche médicale, en expliquant l'importance de l'interdisciplinarité et la distinction entre la recherche fondamentale et appliquée. Découvrez comment les méthodes scientifiques et les observations jouent un rôle crucial dans l'évolution des connaissances médicales.