Charm-EU: From Montpellier to Utrecht, shaping the research of tomorrow
Supported by the universities of Montpellier and Utrecht (Netherlands), the first edition of a pilot research-based teaching module ended on December 11, 2024 with a pitch session for student projects. The future researchers aim to put patients at the heart of their therapeutic solutions.
Five groups, five minutes per group, five scientific proposals for colorectal cancer screening or treatment. On December 11, 2024, some twenty students from Montpellier and Utrecht (Netherlands) pitched their research project proposals at the Institut du Cancer de Montpellier (ICM). The jury was made up of clinicians, patient association representatives and lecturers from both universities. The latter are supervising the first edition of a teaching module developed as part of the European Charm-EU alliance. This comes just three months after the inaugural conference "Integrated approaches to fight colorectal cancer: all together to break down barriers", which brought them together in Montpellier at the end of September.
Therapy or screening?
In the meantime, students have been working in international, interdisciplinary teams (life chemistry, materials chemistry, biology, pharmacology, biotechnology, etc.) on various lines of research. Some focused on the therapeutic aspect, others on screening for this disease, the second most deadly cancer. On the Montpellier side, they were able to draw on the expertise of numerous I-site specialists(SIRIC Montpellier cancer, Institut du Cancer de Montpellier, Institut de recherche en cancérologie de Montpellier, Institut des biomolécules Max Mousseron). The Tackling challenges through international research linked research hub module, which is integrated into the courses offered by the Masters programs involved, capitalizes on the excellence of international research networks, while enabling students to experiment with a pedagogy centered on solving challenges, and to prepare themselves concretely for writing a research project.
Three projects were honored at the end of the pitch session. The jury's first prize went to a project focusing on " a microbiota bacterium as a therapeutic solution to reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy while increasing responses to treatment ", explain Thaïs, Pierre, Naël and Laura. A highly interdisciplinary team, since Thaïs and Pierre are students in the master's cancer-biology program (University of Montpellier), Naël in the master's chemistry of materials for health (University of Montpellier) and Laura in the master's drug innovation program (University of Utrecht).
At the beginning, we didn't know what our level of impact would be," they add. We wanted to act directly on something that would have a more or less long-term effect on patients' well-being. It's also very exciting to be able to collaborate internationally on a project like this! "
Biotherapies
This program, recognized by ECTS credits1 within the courses concerned, trains students in research methodology while promoting interculturality and interdisciplinarity. The involvement of patient associations has enabled future researchers to take full account of their point of view and put them back at the heart of therapeutic strategies.
Four students from this pilot module will continue this international experience via a six-month research placement in laboratories in Montpellier (IBMM and IRCM) and Utrecht.
Building on the success of this first edition, the plan is to open up this module to other CHARM-EU alliance partner universities and training courses from the start of the new academic year. This will make it possible to address other health issues, such as autoimmune diseases, and other therapeutic modalities, in particular biotherapies.
- ECTS, or European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, facilitates the recognition of diplomas in the European area and thus encourages student mobility. ︎