Science at UM [S03-ep08]: The Anti-Cancer Properties of Mushrooms
This week on "Science at UM," Sylvie Rapior, professor emerita at the Faculty of Pharmacy and a researcher at Cefe, talks to us about the anti-cancer properties of mushrooms. Our report then moves from mushrooms to algae with Léa Giannecchini, assistant engineer at SMEL. Finally, Anne Ducros, a neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital and member of the L2C laboratory, introduces us to the conference on migraines to be held in Triolet on November 21.
What comes to mind when I say “mushroom”? Most of you foodies will think of a fricassee of trumpet mushrooms, an omelet with chanterelles, or sautéed porcini. Nature lovers will picture themselves in the woods on an autumn Sunday; the obsessive will bring out the heavy artillery against mold; and the hypochondriacs will cry out about a fungal infection. As for fans of psychedelic experiences, they’ll relive their last trip in Technicolor. Few organisms have the ability to spark so many different imaginations, and for good reason: there are estimated to be between 2.2 and 3.8 million species of mushrooms in the world. Neither animals nor plants, they alone constitute a fascinating kingdom known as the fungal kingdom.
There is another field that takes a keen interest in these organisms: medical research, and more specifically cancer research. Indeed, a growing number of studies suggest that mushrooms have powerful anti-cancer effects.
Sylvie Rapior is a professor emerita at the Faculty of Pharmacy, a researcher at the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology in Montpellier, and a specialist in these strange and fascinating organisms. She introduces us to her latest article, published in the journal *Fitoterapia*. In this article, she and her colleagues in Kolkata review the current state of knowledge regarding mycomedicine as applied to cancer treatment.
Read the post:
- A review of cancer treatment using mushroom metabolites by targeting the mitochondrial signaling pathway: In vitro and in vivo evaluations, clinical studies, and future prospects for mycomedicine, in ScienceDirect
In the second half of the program, we return to Sète to visit SMEL, the Mediterranean Station for Coastal Environment, where we join Léa Giannecchini, an assistant engineer and head of the research and development platform, who explains how she cultivates spirulina.
Finally, our last-minute guest is Anne Ducros, a neurologist at the University Hospital and a member of the Charles Coulomb Laboratory. She will be presenting a lecture on migraines, which she will lead on November 21 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Triolet campus (Dumontet Lecture Hall, Building 7).
See also:
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Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reporting and editing: Aline Périault
Director: Tom Chevalier
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