A mobility program started in 2017 between Strasbourg University (UNISTRA) in France and Okayama University. In October 2018 Professor Muller joined the program and spent 2 weeks in the research group headed by Professor T. Kuboki from the Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceuticals.

Sylviane Muller is a Distinguished class research director in the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies of Strasbourg University (USIAS: www.usias.fr/). She holds a number of prestigious positions such as:

 ** Supervising of the chair of Therapeutic immunology at USIAS.

 ** The Head of the Drug discovery Center for cancer and inflammation of the Medals ‘Laboratory of Excellence’ (2011-2020).

Professor Muller was welcomed at Okayama University by President Pr. H. Makino and had fruitful discussions about lupus. Lupus is an auto-immune disease affecting about 60 000 patients in Japan and spread all over the world. In lupus, something goes wrong with the immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs (“foreign invaders,” like the flu). Normally our immune systems produce proteins called “antibodies” which protect the body from these invaders. Pr. Makino is recognized as an international expert of Lupus treatment.

Pr. Muller’s agenda was very tight: she gave several talks including 2 URA International seminars (for instance….), a series providing a platform of presentation to outstanding researchers from all over the world and visiting Okayama University.

She also attended several meetings with Okayama University main Executives and specialists of auto-immune diseases. Relying on their strong help Pr. Muller could start preliminary contacts with companies and other specialized institutions in Japan and Europe to perform Clinical Trials of a specific molecule restoring major well-being conditions of patients (for instance http://www.immupharma.co.uk/). Moreover and it is a major interest for further drug market access, this drug as no significant side-effect. If the phase of clinical test is successful in Japan, the  possible gain for the Japanese population will be tremendous.