What if researchers from Montpellier could develop the drug that would treat Céline Dion? In any case, this is the purpose of the appeal launched by Christian Jorgensen, the director of the IHU in Montpellier, Immun4cure.
In an interview with France Bleu, the scientist explains that “If someone today comes with 10 million euros and says to me ‘make me a biomedicine’, I’ll do it.” Because the crux of the matter is the funds necessary to develop this drug against stiff person syndrome.
A disease that affects very few people, including around fifty in France. For him, the know-how is already there, all that is missing is the money. Also, he decided to appeal to the singer.
“First, she would give a boost to research for the small rare disease community and then, quite quickly, we could offer her a specific solution. I think that for her, 10 million euros is not enough. not much, and it’s not a joke at all. If someone comes with 10 million euros to develop a biomedicine, in two years they will be ready“, assures the doctor.
The disease has no known cure
A call which comes a few days after the broadcast of the documentary “I am: Céline Dion”, on Prime. “I’m not dead”, the Quebec singer told AFP on Monday evening in New York, during the premiere of the documentary.
The 56-year-old Canadian woman suffers from stiff person syndrome (PRS), an autoimmune disease with no known cure that causes severe pain, difficulty moving and spasms. An illness which forced the star to put her career on hold for a while.
The documentary offers archive images of this world-famous stage beast but also offers a window into his domestic life, with his children and his dogs. It also recounts his illness, with a long passage showing the star in full crisis, completely immobile and unable to speak.
