Dr. Cécile DELCOURT, PhD, Research Director at Inserm, LEHA Director
Objectives
The objective of team LEHA is to study age-related diseases, in particular of the brain (dementia, Alzheimer’s disease) and of the eye (age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma), using a lifelong approach, and focusing on shared mechanisms and exposures, in order to define strategies for the prevention of age-related functional loss and the promotion of healthy aging.
Research area
We study populations of different ages (elderly, middle-aged, young), in prospective designs allowing for the study of slow long-term processes, and using early biomarkers (in particular eye and brain imaging) allowing for the early detection of health-related effects of exposures. As age-related diseases share common mechanisms, common consequences and interact with each other, aging is considered as a global state promoting the occurrence of diseases. Models of aging are mainly neurological diseases (cognitive decline and dementia/Alzheimer) and eye diseases (mainly age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma), but also extend to other health endpoints, such as diabetes, kidney disease or physical performance.
Our research is based on population-based cohorts that we have been conducting in elderly populations for more than 30 years: the PAQUID cohort (n=3777, followed since 1988) and the 3C Study (n=9294 including 2104 in Bordeaux, followed since 1999), and its ancillary ophthalmological study in Bordeaux Alienor (n=963, followed since 2006). We also participate in population-based cohort studies (i-Share, 20,000 students, PI C. Tzourio), Constances (220,000 adults aged 18-69 years, followed since 2012, PI M. Zins, Inserm U1018, Villejuif) and B cube (planned 2000 aged 55-80 years in Bordeaux, PI C Samieri), in particular by generating cutting edge ophthalmological phenotypic information and several ranges of biomarkers. Finally, we collaborate with European and American cohorts, individually or within collaborative projects. Overall, these studies collect information on many aspects of aging (functions, chronic and degenerative diseases, disability) and their determinants (clinical factors, nutrition, environmental exposures, genetics), which allow a very comprehensive study of the epidemiology of health and aging in older adults, but also offer scope for a broader lifelong approach, thanks to the epidemiological and clinical studies conducted in younger individuals.
Our research activity is divided in 3 axes:
– Burden of age-related and chronic disorders, which aims at documenting the frequency of age-related and chronic diseases and characterize their burden, in terms of loss of autonomy, impaired quality of life as well as medical and non-medical costs.
– Mechanisms and processes of age-related diseases, which aims at finely characterizing aging processes, by collecting detailed clinical, imaging and functional data over long periods of time, with major interest in degenerative and vascular processes as well as inflammatory mechanisms.
– Determinants of healthy aging, which focuses mainly on the role of nutrition and lifestyle, as well as environmental exposures (sunlight exposure, air pollution…). With regard to nutrition, our approach combines interest in specific dietary intakes and patterns with the use of innovative measurements (lipidomics, metabolomics, gut microbiota…).
Main publications
Acar N, Merle BMJ, Ajana S, He Z, Gregoire S, Hejblum BP, Martine L, Buaud B, Bron AM, Creuzot-Garcher CP, Korobelnik JF, Berdeaux O, Jacqmin-Gadda H, Bretillon L, Delcourt C, Biomarkers of Lipid S, metabolism in Retinal ageing Study G. Predicting the retinal content in omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular-degeneration. Clin Transl Med. 2021 Jul;11(7):e404. https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.404
Ajana S, Cougnard-Gregoire A, Colijn JM, Merle BMJ, Verzijden T, de Jong P, Hofman A, Vingerling JR, Hejblum BP, Korobelnik JF, Meester-Smoor MA, Ueffing M, Jacqmin-Gadda H, Klaver CCW, Delcourt C, Consortium E-R. Predicting Progression to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration from Clinical, Genetic, and Lifestyle Factors Using Machine Learning. Ophthalmology. 2021 Apr;128(4):587-897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.08.031
Andre P, Pais de Barros JP, Mj Merle B, Samieri C, Helmer C, Delcourt C, Feart C. Mediterranean diet and prudent diet are both associated with low circulating esterified 3-hydroxy fatty acids, a proxy of LPS burden, among older adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Sep 1;114(3):1080-91. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab126
Linard M, Baillet M, Letenneur L, Garrigue I, Catheline G, Dartigues JF, Peres K, Helmer C. Herpes simplex virus, early neuroimaging markers and incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 31;11(1):414. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01532-2
Merle BMJ, Cougnard-Gregoire A, Korobelnik JF, Schalch W, Etheve S, Rougier MB, Feart C, Samieri C, Delyfer MN, Delcourt C. Plasma Lutein, a Nutritional Biomarker for Development of Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Alienor Study. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 15;13(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062047
Morillon C, Le Goff M, Gattoussi S, Korobelnik JF, Rougier MB, Schweitzer C, Delcourt C, Delyfer MN. Incidence, Progression, and Risk Factors of Epiretinal Membranes in the Elderly. Retina. 2021 Mar 1;41(3):495-504. https://doi.org/10.1097/iae.0000000000002871
Chuy V, Gentreau M, Artero S, Berticat C, Rigalleau V, Peres K, Helmer C, Samieri C, Feart C. Simple Carbohydrate Intake and Higher Risk for Physical Frailty Over 15 Years in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Jan 7;77(1):10-8. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab243
Prezelin-Reydit M, Madden I, Macher M-A, Salomon R, Sellier-Leclerc A-L, Roussey G, Lahoche A, Garaix F, Decramer S, Ulinski T, Fila M, Dunand O, Merieau E, Pongas M, Zaloszyc A, Baudouin V, Berard E, Couchoud C, Leffondre K, Harambat J. Preemptive Kidney Transplantation Is Associated With Transplantation Outcomes in Children: Results From the French Kidney Replacement Therapy Registry. Transplantation. 2022 Feb 1;106(2):401-11. https://doi.org/10.1097/tp.0000000000003757
Details
Centre de recherche INSERM U1219
Université de Bordeaux, ISPED
146 rue Léo-Saignat
33076 BORDEAUX cedex
Tél : +33 (0)5 57 57 95 38
Tél : +33 (0)5 57 57 15 96
Fax : +33 (0)5 57 57 14 86
Informations
News
- 30 Jun 2021
AMD: a blood biomarker to assess diet-related risk
LEHA team in collaboration with INRAE, Jean-Monnet Saint-Etienne University, ITERG, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, CHU de Bordeaux has identified…
- 25 Jun 2021
What are the benefits of Lutein in the prevention of AMD?
LEHA team has just published in the journal Nutrients the results of a study conducted on the Alienor…
Members
- Soufiane Ajana
- Louis Arnould
- Jeanne Bardinet
- Virginie Chuy
- Audrey Cougnard-Gregoire
- Cecile Delcourt
- MarieNoelle Delyfer
- Bénédicte Driollet
- Catherine Feart
- Laure Gayraud
- Brigitte Gontier
- Jérôme Harambat
- Emilie Hucteau
- AnneFleur Jacquemot
- Jean-Francois Korobelnik
- Petra Larsen
- Lisa Le Gall
- Melanie Le Goff
- Morgane Linard
- Benedicte Merle
- Sylvie Mivielle
- Hermine Pellay
- Sara Reboucas-Rondeau
- Vincent Rigalleau
- Cedric Schweitzer
