COVID-19: Sylviane Muller, a researcher in immunology and therapeutic chemistry in Strasbourg, is a member of the scientific advisory committee (Care) that advises the government

After establishing a scientific advisory board to assist with the management of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government created the Committee for Analysis, Research, and Expertise (CARE) to advance progress on diagnostics and treatments for the coronavirus.

Composed of 12 researchers and physicians —5 women and 7 men—this research committee is chaired by Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, a virologist at the Pasteur Institute, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine, and recognized for her work on the HIV virus.

She will be joined, among others, by Sylviane Muller, a researcher in immunology and therapeutic chemistry at the University of Strasbourg. A specialist in autoimmune diseases, she is known for developing a promising treatment for lupus that is currently undergoing clinical trials. The possibility of a COVID-19 treatment based on chloroquine or one of its derivatives is being discussed and analyzed, as these compounds are already used to treat several lupus-like autoimmune diseases.

Several medical technology specialists and anthropologists have also been appointed to this committee. The committee will be able to issue rulings on certain matters within 48 hours, provide recommendations, and report its findings to the ministers of Health and Research. It will also be responsible for managing the post-crisis period, while the Scientific Council manages the crisis itself.

“It is through science and medicine that we will defeat the virus. Today, I am bringing together our best researchers to make progress on diagnostics and treatments. Our research efforts are fully focused on the fight against COVID-19,” Emmanuel Macron announced in a tweet.

The ingredients in Care:

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine laureate; Jean-Philippe Spano (oncologist); Yazdan Yazdanpanah (infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist); Franck Molina (researcher at the CNRS); Dominique Valeyre (professor of pulmonology); Bertrand Thirion (researcher at INRIA); Sylviane Muller (immunologist, University of Strasbourg), Laetitia Atlani-Duault (researcher at IRD and anthropologist), Marie-Paule Kieny (Inserm researcher, infectious disease specialist), Muriel Vayssier (Director of the Animal Health Department at INRA), Marc Lecuit (professor of infectious diseases), and Christophe Junot (head of the Medicines and Health Technologies Department at the CEA).