Opening the doors to science: PARCC welcomes the French news media
On 14 October 2026, PARCC welcomed members of the Alliance de la presse d’information générale for an afternoon organised by Inserm, bringing research teams and media representatives together to explore how scientific knowledge is built and how it can inform reliable health reporting.
Reliable information begins with sound scientific knowledge. But how is that knowledge produced, tested and refined? To bring these questions into the laboratory, Inserm opened the doors of the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC), a joint Inserm–Université Paris Cité research centre directed by Jean-Sébastien Silvestre.
Under the theme “À cœur ouvert” (“With an open heart”), the visit offered an introduction to a centre bringing together more than 350 researchers, clinicians, engineers, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers across 13 teams. Through presentations and discussions in the laboratories, participants explored the connections between fundamental research, clinical investigation and innovation in cardiovascular and kidney medicine.
Research in practice
The afternoon covered several complementary perspectives on biomedical research.
Xavier Jouven and Jean-Philippe Empana’s session focused on preventing and predicting cardiovascular disease, connecting epidemiology and algorithms with practical questions about cardiac arrest, defibrillators and the chain of survival.
Hafid Ait-Oufella explored the relationship between the heart and the immune system, illustrating how discoveries in cardiovascular immunology can lead to new therapeutic approaches and the creation of a start-up.
Alexandre Loupy’s session addressed artificial intelligence and xenotransplantation, examining research avenues that could help tackle the shortage of donor organs.
Together, these examples highlighted the different stages of research and the work involved in turning scientific findings into potential benefits for patients.
Scientific rigour and public information
The relationship between science and the media was central to the visit. In a session drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, David Smadja addressed scientific misinformation and disinformation, and the role of the media in helping the public navigate health information.
The closing discussion brought researchers and media representatives together around a shared challenge: making complex findings accessible while preserving their meaning, limitations and uncertainties. Understanding how evidence develops, why results need verification and how knowledge can change is essential to reporting research accurately.
By welcoming the Alliance de la presse d’information générale, PARCC and Inserm created an opportunity for direct dialogue between those who produce scientific knowledge and those who bring it to the public, in support of informed debate and reliable health information.
