PASTEUR2030
Translational Science Day : ”Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) and Neonatal Sepsis”, on November 18, 2026
The Translational Research Day is an event organised by the Medical Department that brings together leading scientists and clinicians in biomedical research. The upcoming Translational Research Day will take place on November 18, 2026 in the Émile Duclaux lecture hall, on the topic "Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) and Neonatal Sepsis: Deciphering the tragedy at the interface of intestinal microbes, the intestinal barrier and immune immaturity”.
Advances in neonatal resuscitation have enabled the survival of increasingly premature infants. However, this earlier entry into life comes with increased vulnerability, particularly for neonates born before 28 weeks of gestation. At this stage, critical barriers (i.e., intestinal and respiratory) and the mucosal and systemic immune systems remain structurally and functionally immature, leaving these newborns poorly equipped to effectively cope with the new microbial environment to which they are suddenly exposed.
Such extreme fragility carries a risk of devastating complications, most notably necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and neonatal sepsis. It also exposes affected newborns to potentially long-lasting neurodevelopmental sequelae.
Addressing these life-threatening complications remains one of the most urgent priorities in modern neonatology. To confront these challenges, this Journée de Recherche Translationnelle brings together outstanding clinical and basic researchers in a transdisciplinary setting, with the aim of fostering innovative perspectives to improve our understanding of, and approaches to the prevention and treatment of, these conditions.
On November 17, a keynote lecture will be held at 5pm, featuring David J. Hackam, Professor of Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore), who will talk on the following subject: ”Advances in the understanding of necrotising enterocolitis: new targets for new treatments”.