Institute
The medical profession is currently facing the challenge of shifting from a more curative approach to a more holistic one, in line with the WHO’s definition of health. The development of 5P medicine (personalised, preventive, predictive, participatory and evidence-based), alongside the rapid implementation of new technologies in imaging, sequencing and individual monitoring in particular, is accompanied by a considerable increase in the quality and quantity of information available on and for patients, opening up new opportunities to better understand inter-individual differences.
On the other hand, the One Health approach emphasises the need to consider humans within their environment: human, animal, environmental and social health must be considered together in order to promote well-being and prevent the emergence of new diseases. The convergence of 5P medicine and the One Health approach is necessarily part of a holistic approach, ranging from personalised medicine to environmental and social sciences, in order to reposition individuals as ‘actors’ within their context.
The aim of the Transdisciplinary Institute for Health
To build a research and training ecosystem that addresses the diverse range of health and wellbeing issues through a transdisciplinary approach. With close collaboration between the university and the hospital, a rare diversity of disciplines, strong links between the humanities and social sciences, environmental sciences, engineering and digital sciences, and synergy with a well-structured private sector, Lyon is the ideal setting to meet this challenge.
The Transdisciplinary Institute for Health is an open-access institute where all academic staff based in the Lyon-St Etienne area are invited to participate, regardless of the laboratories or institutions to which they are affiliated, with the aim of creating and shaping a cross-disciplinary scientific community whilst ensuring a high degree of creative freedom.
Strategy to support transdisciplinary research
Bringing together expertise in socio-environmental factors, public health, human and veterinary health, quality of life, care and treatment, these programmes enable the co-construction of closer links between the environment, social groups and individual health (genotype, molecular, cellular and individual phenotypes, geographical areas, etc.). They will enable the development of comprehensive approaches to better understand the processes at play, improve prediction and intervention, and thus develop innovative approaches to the management of populations and individuals in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment for humans, animals and all living organisms.
The Institute will also undertake an epistemological and ethical examination of the context in which this diverse body of knowledge is produced, as well as the implications for those affected and the issues surrounding the very foundations of transdisciplinary approaches.
Organisation of themed workshops
The Transdisciplinary Institute for Health was originally structured around five thematic workshops:
- Cancer prevention and treatment;
- Health and regional development;
- Trends in infectious diseases;
- Brain disorders and an inclusive society;
- Data science and engineering.
More than 25 working meetings have been organised since May 2022 (attracting over 900 participants), helping to foster a regional momentum around these key thematic areas at a very early stage. For each theme, the IST has set up coordination teams (6–7 people per workshop), bringing together researchers and clinicians with complementary expertise from the various research institutions in the Lyon-St Etienne area.
prevention
diseases
disorders
Territories
and engineering
Support for the development of cross-disciplinary projects
One of the key challenges for the Transdisciplinary Institute for Health is the emergence of innovative, collaborative and transdisciplinary research in the field of health and well-being, aimed at bringing together 5P medicine and the One Health approach. To this end, prior to each call for projects (CFP), an initial non-competitive call for expressions of interest (CEI) is organised. Following the EoI, a project engineering phase is initiated: the project leaders of the submitted proposals can then present their projects during feedback workshops, during which the facilitation teams and participants can refine the projects to ensure they align with SHAPE-Med’s expectations.
Project leaders can then submit their final proposals to the open calls for proposals, which provide funding for seed projects (exploratory projects lasting 12 to 24 months) and structuring projects (mini-consortia lasting 36 to 48 months).
Strengthening interdisciplinary training in healthcare
SHAPE-Med aims to develop a transdisciplinary programme of excellence in Lyon-St Étienne to address the challenges of global health, public health and personalised medicine. By funding master’s and doctoral programmes, it supports existing courses and contributes directly to transdisciplinary training through research projects. It also helps to bring together cross-disciplinary academic programmes, strengthen links with the consortium’s healthcare centres (HCL, CLB, Le Vinatier) and develop courses of excellence.
The Training and Expertise Council (CFE), launched in 2024, brings together representatives from partners involved in training, including ENS Lyon and engineering schools, to organise the educational provision. A perfect example of successful collaboration is our link with the EID@Lyon University Research School (CMA, France 2030), dedicated to emerging infectious diseases, which incorporates the One Health Institute offering training to public and private decision-makers. This synergy has enabled the co-funding of four PhD theses (Comedia, Print@Lung, Tubaat, Landor). Finally, the presence of major players in the Gerland BioDistrict (HCL, UCBL, ENS Lyon, EM Lyon, WHO Academy, ID Cluster, CIRC, Lyonbiopôle, healthcare industry) will foster the emergence of new, innovative training programmes.
Joint development with local authorities and local healthcare stakeholders
SHAPE-Med@Lyon aims to strengthen its local presence and its engagement with socio-economic stakeholders. Since 2023, discussions with the local authorities of Lyon and Villeurbanne have led to several tangible collaborations: members of the SHAPE-Med Executive Board sit on the scientific committee of Lyon’s Local Health Contract (CLS), participate in the European URBACT project ‘One Health 4 Cities’ led by the City of Lyon, and lead the ‘One Health’ cross-cutting theme of Lyon’s CLS. In 2024, collaborative workshops were co-developed with the CLS, the ARS, associations, residents’ groups and academic researchers, addressing concrete on-the-ground challenges such as the fight against bedbugs and the tiger mosquito. These working groups have fostered unprecedented exchanges between local stakeholders and researchers, illustrating the transformative impact of the SHAPE-Med approach.
This joint initiative centred on the One Health approach, shared by SHAPE-Med, the City of Lyon and the Lyon Metropolitan Area, and bolstered by the establishment of the WHO Academy in Lyon in 2024, is undoubtedly helping to give the Lyon region a distinctive ‘One Health’ scientific profile.
Participatory research and collaboration with civil society
Some funded projects are already being carried out in close collaboration with patient organisations. SHAPE-Med@Lyon plans to take this a step further and establish a collective space for the development and implementation of participatory health research initiatives. Pooling expertise for collaborations with civil society, both in environmental sciences and in patient partnerships, will enable a unique position on this subject at national level. The collaboration with the LYSiERES2 Project via the SAPS label obtained by Lyon 2 is a definite asset in this field, notably with a staff member recruited for this project to act as a liaison with SHAPE-Med@Lyon. An inaugural conference was co-organised on 4 December 2024 on the theme ‘One Health and participatory research: how can we build global health together with society?’.