Nelson Dusetti‘s work has identified a molecular signature of pancreatic cancer that can predict tumour sensitivity to treatment. This discovery is part of the development of increasingly personalised medicine, which aims to tailor therapies to each patient and limit treatment failures. This work has also led to the creation of Predicting Med, a partner in two prospective clinical trials promoted by the IPC, which aim to clinically validate these transcriptomic signatures and strengthen their integration into personalised patient care. Continuing this approach, Marc Lopez has helped develop a new-generation treatment based on the vectorisation of chemotherapies. This technique uses an antibody to direct the drug directly to the tumour, reducing side effects on healthy tissue. This work led to the creation of Emergence Therapeutics, now part of an international pharmaceutical group developing these treatments on a larger scale.

Daniel Olive is one of the pioneers of immunotherapy. He founded ImCheck Therapeutics, a company that grew out of his work at CRCM, and developed an innovative monoclonal antibody capable of targeting a type of acute myeloid leukaemia. This drug was granted marketing authorisation in July 2025, marking a major breakthrough in the use of the immune system to fight cancer. The IPC is now recognised as a national reference centre for CAR-T cell therapies, another rapidly growing approach to immunotherapy.

These advances illustrate the research momentum in Marseille, within the CRCM and its partners, to develop increasingly targeted, effective and patient-friendly treatments. Jean-Paul Borg also highlights the challenges ahead: improving the management of cancers with poor prognoses, strengthening collaboration between researchers and clinicians, and harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence and the Marseille Immunology Biocluster, which is unique in France.

📖 Read the full article on the newspaper’s La Provence website: « Vingt ans d’innovations et des espoirs pour vaincre le cancer ».