Almost exactly a year after it provided support to medical research by contributing to the ANR COVID-19 Flash project, CNP Assurances is increasing its commitment as a sponsor of the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) by providing more than €530k to support an innovative research project on Alzheimer's disease.

As part of its programme to support research on neurodegenerative diseases, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) has selected a number of promising research projects. A selection committee made up of representatives of CNP Assurances analysed these projects and selected the “La lumière pour redonner son rythme au cerveau dans la maladie d’Alzheimer” (using light to restore the brain’s rhythm in Alzheimer's disease), project run by Laurent Givalois, from the Laboratoire des Mécanismes Moléculaires dans les Démences Neurodégénératives de Montpellier (Montpellier Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Dementias). CNP Assurances will contribute to the funding of this project by providing more than €530k over three years (from 2021 to 2024).

In France, neurodegenerative diseases now affect 1 million people and constitute a major economic and societal challenge:

•    €24 billion is spent each year in France on caring for patients (not counting the burden on caregivers).
•    The population is ageing, and French people aged over 75 will account for nearly 15% of the population in 2040, compared with 10% today, according to the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health.
•    Loss of autonomy by the elderly represents a total cost of €30bn, of which €23.7bn is borne by the State.
•    There are currently no treatments available to slow down the development of these diseases.

By supporting the FRM's research programme in this field, CNP Assurances is strengthening its positioning in healthcare and is demonstrating its professional and societal commitment to the important issue of neurodegenerative diseases, directly linked to its historical action on dependency issues.

 “In dealing with the societal issues caused by an ageing population, more than ever before, our role as a responsible insurer is to protect people and everything they value over the long term. Along with the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, CNP Assurances is keen to support the researchers’ fight against neurodegenerative diseases, the development of which cannot currently be slowed down through treatment”, explained Agathe Sanson, strategic marketing, communication and sponsorship director for CNP Assurances.

Since 2019, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale has invested €9 million into research on neurodegenerative diseases and has supported 17 research projects, including 10 on Alzheimer's disease. The FRM has thus become a major player in financing research on this disease. Our goal is to actively stimulate advances in research to finally understand the causes of Alzheimer's disease with a view to preventing it, reliably diagnosing it at an early stage and treating it. We are grateful for and proud of CNP Assurances's support.” stated the FRM’s Scientific Director, Valérie Lemarchandel.

Between 2019 to 2025, by selecting the best scientific projects, the FRM is seeking to boost research into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. This programme is also seeking to encourage innovative research based on an interdisciplinary approach with the aim of making new discoveries that might eventually be used to diagnose these diseases or for therapeutic purposes.