[Toward the development of medical applications of chronobiology]

The medical applications of chronobiology have been developed since the properties of biological rhythms were characterized and their parameters were quantified. In particular, the "Association de Chronobiologie Médicale" has played a major role in the creation of the Chronotherapy Group of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, the first cooperative group which investigates the clinical relevance of rhythms for cancer processes and treatments worldwide. In parallel, the molecular mechanisms which generate the cellular rhythms and the hypothalamic clock which coordinate them have been unravelled. We expect that the integration of these new basic findings into clinical chronobiology research will greatly improve the understanding of many physiopathology processes and result in more active treatment schedules for many diseases.