Institut Curie’s major programs

Women's Cancer Institute 

Better understanding, prevention and cure of female cancers

The IHU (Institut hospitalo-universitaire) Institut des Cancers des Femmes is a structuring, interdisciplinary project* that combines the scientific and medical expertise of Institut Curie, PSL University and Inserm to provide holistic care for patients with breast and gynecological cancers. The IHU label of excellence awarded by France 2030 aims to amplify the impact of the projects of its three founders on these pathologies, to better prevent and cure them, and limit relapses and their consequences in terms of quality of life. Since we are a national referral center, doctors, caregivers, researchers, and patient associations combine their expertise to accelerate breakthrough innovations in breast and gynecological cancer for the benefit of women affected by the disease.

Find out more about Women’s Cancer Institute

CellAction

A unique laboratory to accelerate innovation and access to cell and gene therapies

Cell and gene therapies, most notably CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells) cells, are becoming increasingly important in cancer treatment. They are already part of the therapeutic arsenal against certain hematological cancers, and the international scientific and medical community is exploring more effective strategies and a wider range of indications, including solid tumors. These are also the objectives of CellAction (Cell Therapy Acceleration and Innovation), the brand-new platform of the Paris-Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC) at Institut Curie.

Thanks to its medical-scientific expertise and exceptional facilities, CellAction is an integrated structure that is unique in France. By fostering public-private, national and international collaborations, CellAction makes it possible to launch projects aimed at accelerating the development of innovative anti-cancer drugs, from basic research through to their transfer to the clinic and delivery to patients.

For more information on CellAction

RHU CASSIOPEIA  

Groundbreaking diagnostic methods and a new generation of therapies for triple negative breast cancer

The RHU CASSIOPEIA* hospital-university health research program, both fundamental and clinical, aims to gain a better understanding of triple-negative breast cancers, particularly their heterogeneity, in order to identify at diagnosis those patients who could develop resistance to treatment. The teams will evaluate new methods for detecting metastases and early recurrence. The ambition is to develop unprecedented therapies targeting fibroblasts implicated in resistance to immunotherapies, a cell type highly abundant in aggressive tumors, although not yet targeted on a therapeutic level. This program is coordinated by Institut Curie, in partnership with Roche and Institut Roche This program is funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) under the.

For more information on CASSIOPEIA

RHU EpCART 

Innovative personalized cell therapy for cancers with poor prognosis

Many cancers remain difficult to treat because the therapies currently available, even the most recent ones such as immunotherapies, are not sufficiently effective over the long term. Developing innovative, personalized and sustainable therapies is a major challenge for researchers and doctors. Coordinated by Institut Curie in partnership with Mnemo Therapeutics and AP-HP's MEARY cell and gene therapy center, the EpCART project* aims to test a therapeutic approach combining immuno-epigenetics and CAR-T therapies. This approach stems from research carried out at Institut Curie and developed by its spin-off Mnemo Therapeutics. After full pre-clinical approval of this unique approach, a clinical trial will assess the feasibility of the production of these original cellular therapies and the absence of side effects in patients with solid tumors.

The PEPR Cell-ID

Towards a cellular medicine of interception

Led by the CNRS, with Inserm as co-pilot, and seven partners**, including Institut Curie, the Cell-ID project seeks to understand how cells follow multiple fates in space and time to build the body's tissues, but also how potential deviations in their trajectories are at the origin of pathologies, in particular pediatric cancers. This project is specifically focused on neural development, i.e. the development of the nervous system from conception to adolescence, and will develop methodological approaches and concepts with broad application. Identifying abnormalities at the origin of certain pediatric cancers would enable the detection of cellular defects, particularly in situations at risk of recurrence, before pathological effects manifest themselves. This is cellular interception medicine. This program is supported by the France 2030 investment plan launched by the French National Research Agency (ANR).

Find out more about PEPR Cell-ID

The PEPR MED-OOC

Towards a new generation of organs and organoids-on-a-chip

Institut Curie is also contributing to the PEPR project, MED-OOC, supported by CNRS, Inserm and CEA, with PSL also a partner. The idea here is to develop a generation of organs and organoids-on-a-chip (O&OoC), which are key to meeting future healthcare challenges. These are miniaturized devices capable of reproducing in vitro various characteristics of living organs in physiological or pathological conditions. This program is supported by the France 2030 investment plan launched by the French National Research Agency (ANR).

Find out more about PEPR MED-OOC

* Supported by the French 2030 government program “Investissements d’avenir” 

** Institut Curie, Institut Pasteur, CEA, Paris Sciences & Lettres, Montpellier, Toulouse 3, Paris Cité et Strasbourg universities