Covid-19 pandemic: Paris Brain Institute mobilizes and carries on

Research Published March 21 2020
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In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the Paris Brain Institute pursues its research activity in the best way possible and participates actively in the effort to fight the virus and help patients.

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted our activities and put on hold our lab-based work to a significant extent. All research teams have reduced their experiments to the minimum necessary, focusing on bringing their ongoing experiments to a successful conclusion. Almost all our staff now work from home and pursue their activities in the best way possible under the circumstances, analyzing data, writing papers and grants, and using virtual tools to communicate with one another. Research never stops!

Located in the heart of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, which receives many Covid-19 patients, the Paris Brain Institute is in close contact with the medical teams and has already offered access to its equipment and skills to participate in the screening and care of patients.

Furthermore, all our clinicians who are members of both the Paris Brain Institute and the Neuroscience Medico-University department of the hospital are mobilized to support the medical teams taking care of Covid-19 patients, as Pitié-Salpêtrière is now the reference center for the Covid-19 patient care.

In these difficult times, we need to reaffirm our values:

– For communication based on scientific and medical research facts, especially in the context of much fake news and false information being spread all over the internet.

– At the service of patients and knowledge, always.

– Openness and collaboration are the key to progress and we do our best to offer as much help as possible to the teams fighting the virus.

We cannot predict how the situation will evolve over coming weeks and months, but we are confident that the efforts of the physicians, nurses and all healthcare and research professionals involved will prevail. Our thoughts go out to all, and in particular to those for whom this crisis is adding to the burden of an affected brain. When the dust settles on this pandemic, the millions who suffer from disorders of the brain and mind will still need us. I can assure you that the Paris Brain Institute will be there to pursue its commitment to understand the brain and its pathologies, at the service of patients and the public.

Sincerely,

Prof Alexis Brice, Executive Director