AFM

Small morning. The sky is blue, but the mists stretch over the green spaces and curling around the buildings. We are in Evry-sur-Seine, a city that has attracted important scientific research institutions in aeronautics, aeronautics and medical research. Moreover, we are just steps from Génopole in Evry, the first French biotechnology campus. The French association against the myopathies is located just off the metro, at the end of a small walkway paved with white slabs that winds between the buildings and the buildings of the research companies. This is a visit not to be missed if you ask questions about genetics and diseases that can be traced to a mistake in the genome map, commonly called, orphan diseases. Of the 6 000 to 8 000 rare diseases, including 200 neuromuscular diseases, 80% are of genetic origin. 30 million people are affected in Europe, including 3 million in France (about 5% of the French population - of the 65 million). In addition, this visit is only offered once a year on the occasion of the "Discover Essonne Companies" operation. Adjacent to the lobby, an exhibition gallery invites the visitor to discover the history of the AFM through explanatory panels rich in photos and texts. The guide makes us first a presentation of the company and its missions. Created in 1958 and recognized as a public utility since 1976, the mission of the AFM is to find a therapeutic solution to neuromuscular diseases, through research and especially research into gene therapies. In the short term, the MFA aims to improve the daily lives of patients by promoting better access to care and better social accompaniment. In 2008, EUR 35,5 million was spent on aid activities for sick and families by the AFM. The visit offers a route from the DNA bank and its collection, culture, mining and storage rooms. Everything is explained and the visitor comes out of the premises more fully than before entering.