Raphael BORIE
Coordinator, Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
About
The FHU INFIRE
The FHU INFIRE – INnovation Fibrosis Inflammation REmodeling is a Hospital-University Federation accredited for 2025–2029 by AP-HP, Inserm and the universities of the Île-de-France region. Led by Prof. Raphaël Borie, Dr. Camille Cohen and Prof. Grégory Ducrocq at Bichat Hospital, the FHU INFIRE brings together clinicians, researchers, educators, patients and industry partners around a shared objective: to better understand, prevent and treat chronic diseases linked to inflammation, tissue remodeling and fibrosis.
Why INFIRE?
Tissue remodeling lies at the heart of many chronic diseases (lung, kidney, heart, etc.), often leading to organ failure.
Inflammation, as a major trigger, can induce fibrosis, often associated with a poor prognosis.
Today, no national consortium brings together expertise around this cross-cutting process. This is where the FHU INFIRE positions itself, by creating an interdisciplinary platform to combine perspectives and turn knowledge into practical solutions.
Our approach: integrative, translational and innovation-driven.
The FHU INFIRE is built around 6 major structuring pillars:
An interdisciplinary research platform
Collaboration between nephrologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, immunologists, pediatricians, etc.
Translational research projects
to transfer knowledge from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside.
Clinical trials led by internationally renowned teams
a key lever to initiate and strengthen partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry.
A unique biobank
focused on patients with chronic inflammation and/or fibrosis to improve understanding of the mechanisms involved in these conditions.
An innovation hub:
advanced imaging, biomarkers, targeted therapies.
A forward-looking vision
The FHU will be a key step toward creating a more ambitious structure, such as an IHU (Hospital-University Institute).
Our ambition: to advance early diagnosis, identify therapeutic targets, and improve patient care.
What is an FHU?
A Hospital-University Federation (FHU) is a structure that brings together hospital, university and research teams around a shared healthcare project. Its aim is to foster collaboration between clinicians, researchers and educators in order to accelerate innovation and improve care.
An FHU makes it possible to address a medical theme in a comprehensive way, combining basic research, clinical research, training and patient care. It therefore promotes the rapid transfer of scientific discoveries into medical practice.
The missions of FHUs are to:
support innovative research projects,
develop clinical studies,
strengthen the training of healthcare professionals,
encourage the sharing of expertise and data,
improve the coherence of the care pathway.
Each FHU relies on scientific governance, a steering committee and interdisciplinary working groups organized around themes or specific projects. This organization fosters the emergence of more collaborative, innovative medicine focused on patients’ needs.
What is fibrosis?
Fibrosis is a pathological process characterized by an excessive accumulation of scar tissue in an organ. It occurs when normal repair mechanisms become excessive or uncontrolled, most often in response to chronic inflammation, repeated injury or certain diseases.
During this process, cells called fibroblasts overproduce components of the extracellular matrix, notably collagen. Gradually, normal tissue is replaced by tissue that is stiffer and less functional, which can impair the function of the affected organ.
Depending on the organ involved and the severity of the condition, symptoms can vary widely: shortness of breath, fatigue, pain, loss of organ function, or cardiovascular complications.
Fibrosis can occur in different contexts:
inflammatory or autoimmune diseases,
chronic infections
aging
genetic factors
exposure to toxins or certain medications
metabolic or cardiovascular diseases
A major public health challenge
Fibrotic diseases represent a major public health issue. Often chronic and progressive, they can have a significant impact on quality of life and require specialized, multidisciplinary care.
Despite recent progress, many mechanisms involved in the development of fibrosis remain poorly understood, which limits the therapeutic options available.
Why the FHU INFIRE is committed
The FHU INFIRE brings together clinicians, researchers and experts from different disciplines to better understand the mechanisms of inflammation, fibrosis and tissue remodeling.
Its objective is to develop innovative translational research to improve diagnosis, identify new therapeutic targets, accelerate the transfer of discoveries into care, and strengthen training around fibrotic diseases.
Work Packages
Fibrotic diseases result from complex interactions between inflammation, tissue remodeling, genetic factors and environmental factors. To better understand these mechanisms and accelerate the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, the FHU INFIRE is based on 5 interconnected work packages, bringing together clinical, biological and technological expertise:
WP1
Non-invasive assessment of fibrosis, inflammation and remodeling
Identification and validation of new biomarkers for the early diagnosis of fibrotic diseases.
Leads: François Rouzet, Grégory Ducrocq, Fabrice Extramiana
WP2
Immunology of fibrosis and remodeling
Development of innovative approaches to identify early events that trigger the inflammation–remodeling–fibrosis axis across different organs
Leads: Marc Clément, Camille Cohen, Camille Taillé
WP3
Genetics of Fibrosis and Remodeling
Identify the links between these genes, inflammation, and the development of fibrosis, as well as their interaction with the genetic causes of cardiac channelopathies, from birth to adulthood
Leaders: Raphaël Borie, Caroline Kannengießer, Pierre-Antoine Juge, Philippe Dieudé, Nadia Nathan, Guillaume Jondeau
WP4
Fighting Fibrosis and Remodeling
Establish a preclinical drug screening platform
Leaders: Marina Urena Alcazar, Philippe Gabriel Steg
WP5
Training and Knowledge Dissemination
Develop a cross-disciplinary competency framework on fibrosing diseases, and propose specific therapeutic education modules according to the affected organ
Leaders: Emmanuelle Vidal-Petiot, Justine Frija, Lucie Cabrejo
Coordination Team
Our team is composed of recognized experts in their respective fields
The INFIRE Team
Camille COHEN
Coordinator, Nephrologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Grégory DUCROCQ
Coordinator, Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Djamila OUARET
Project Manager
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Work Package Leaders
François ROUZET
WP1 Leader, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Department
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Fabrice EXTRAMIANA
WP1 Lead, Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Marc CLEMENT
WP2 Leader, Researcher
LVTS, Faculty of Medicine, Bichat, Paris
Camille TAILLÉ
WP2 Leader, Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Caroline KANNENGIESSER
WP3 Lead, Medical Geneticist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Pierre-Antoine JUGE
WP3 Lead, Rheumatologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Philippe DIEUDÉ
Leader WP3, Head of Department of Rheumatology
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Nadia NATHAN
WP3 Leader, Pediatric Pulmonologist
Trousseau Hospital, Paris
Guillaume JONDEAU
WP3 Lead, Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Marina URENA ALCAZAR
WP4 Lead, Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Philippe Gabriel STEG
WP4 Lead, Head of the Cardiology Department
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Emmanuelle VIDAL-PETIOT
WP5 Leader, Hypertensiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Justine FRIJA
WP5 Leader, Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Lucie CABREJO
WP5 Leader, neurologist and medical coordinator of UTEP
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris
Other FHU Members
Vincent ALGALARRONDO
Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Antonino NICOLETTI
Director of LVTS
U1148, Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Arnaud MAILLEUX
Research Director at the CRI
U1149, Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Ibrahima BA
Medical Geneticist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Vincent BUNEL-GOURDY
Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Aurélie CAZES
Department of Pathology and Cytology
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Agnès CERTAIN
Pharmacist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Bruno CRESTANI
Pulmonologist
Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital
Marie-Pia D’ORTHO
Sleep Physician
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Eric DAUGAS
Nephrologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Luc DE CHAISEMARTIN
Head of the Biological Immunology Department
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Marie-Pierre DEBRAY
Radiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Vincent DESCAMPS
Dermatologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Georges D. HELOU
Researcher
CRI, U1149, Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Valérie GOUNANT
Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Bernard IUNG
Cardiologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Caroline JULIARD
Paramedical Coordinator of the Cross-Disciplinary Patient Therapeutic Education Unit
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Olivier MILLERON
Cardiologist
Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital
David MONTANI
Pulmonologist
Bicêtre Hospital
Patrick NATAF
Cardiac surgeon
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Quentin PHILIPPOT
Pulmonologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Renato MONTEIRO
Researcher
CRI, U1149, Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Pascal RICHETTE
Rheumatologist
Lariboisière Hospital
Karim SACRE
Department of Internal Medicine
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
Gérard ZALCMAN
Thoracic Oncologist
Bichat – Claude Bernard Hospital
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