Institut Curie and BIODERMA join forces and open an Area for Care and Study of the Skin in Paris
As part of an effort to improve the overall care of patients and the progress of research in nursing, this new area will specifically address the side effects of cancer treatments on the skin, such as skin toxicity. This partnership with BIODERMA, a leader in dermatology, marks Institut Curie's determination to provide comprehensive, adapted and innovative solutions in the care of its patients. This place is inaugurated on February 20th 2019 in the heart of the Institut Curie day hospital in Paris.
A common goal: the global care of patients and their quality of life
The treatments against cancer very often cause effects on the skin: dry skin, burns ... These skin effects have a real impact on the lives of patients and may affect on their management, or even lead oncologists to reduce or suspend the treatment administered. This new area, which opens in the heart of Institut Curie's day hospital, will provide the care and treatment needed to reduce these skin toxicities. It will be a place of support and listening for patients who will find the necessary advice to take care of their skin and limit side effects
Thanks to numerous measuring tools able to evaluate the state of the skin before and during the treatment (measurement of inflammation, skin thickness, hydration rate ...), the equipment put in place in the Area for Care and Skin Study will collect biological data in addition to clinical data and have a global vision of adverse effects of treatments on the skin. With collections of data to the hearts of patients, it will be possible to better understand how they experience these side effects.
"Until now, we had a visual clinical evaluation: with the Space of Care and Study of the Skin, we will objectify these results with tools of measurement (colorimetry, thickness of the epidermis), which will allow to quantify the side effects. Measuring the skin will enable us to find the specificities of the different skins, to redefine the physiopathologies and mechanisms of appearance of these side effects ", explains Hédi Chabanol, Head of the Care and Study Area of the skin. Skin at Institut Curie and expert in cutaneous side effects.
"Above all, it is a question of moving forward in this global care of the patient and at the same time of advancing the scientific knowledge of the skin and the research in care which is one of the axes of the partnership", comments Karine Torrell , Pharmacist , Head of Hospital Partnerships at BIODERMA.
This new area will also provide medical care to each patient throughout his care journey. Depending on the treatment given or when treatment is changed, patients are informed about potential skin side effects and prevention strategies to be adopted immediately to prevent them. This area will therefore provide support, listening to patients and will also have the mission of improving scientific research on side effects by analyzing the data collected to find the appropriate solutions for each case.
A long-standing collaboration that is enriching
BIODERMA and Institut Curie joined together in 2015 under the leadership of Isabelle Fromantin, Nurse-researcher at the Institut Curie, a specialist in oncology wounds. For 4 years, the BIODERMA Laboratory has been working for the prevention of cutaneous side effects by providing hygiene and care products as well as information brochures to educate patients.
"The signing of the partnership between Institut Curie and Naos / BIODERMA marks an important step in the development of partnership research within the Institut Curie. Nursing research and its applications in the Cosmetics and Medical Devices sector are areas of strong interest on the part of teams and for which there are major expectations of patients and their families. The Carnot Curie Cancer label was crucial in the conclusion of this agreement by supporting the teams towards the implementation of the contract including funding granted to the project team. "Says Amaury Martin, Director of Technology Transfer and Industrial Partnerships Office and Director of the Carnot Curie Cancer.
