Villejuif (France), December the 5th, 2022 – The French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau have announced today, as part of a progress review of the ten-year French strategic plan against cancers, that the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC), dedicated to oncology, is the first winner of the Biocluster Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI). Launched as part of the "France 2030" plan presented by French President Emmanuel Macron, this CEI aims to create "world-class clusters of excellence bringing together companies, healthcare, research and disruptive innovation, [with] the ambition of transforming the French biomedical research landscape."
Cancer kills 1.3 million people in the European Union every year and is expected to increase by 25% by 2035. France holds recognized excellence in basic research and clinical care of patients but is struggling to transform these assets into therapeutic and diagnostic solutions developed in France to the benefit of patients.
Based on this observation, Gustave Roussy, Inserm, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sanofi, and the University of Paris-Saclay decided to create the PSCC, missing link to transform French fundamental research excellence into industrial diagnostic and therapeutic solutions developed in France. As a real catalyst, the objective of the PSCC is to facilitate and accelerate industrial projects and the maturation of start-ups, boost the French economy and create jobs throughout the country, in a highly competitive global environment. A first circle of key partners quickly joined the PSCC: UNICANCER, the Institut Curie, the Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, and the Medicen competitiveness cluster, and more than 60 other partners, including the Servier Group and several dozen start-ups have expressed their interest.
The 80 to 100 million euros that will be granted by the French government over 10 years as part of "France 2030" program will act as a decisive lever to develop the PSCC. The French government contribution will be supplemented by other investments, both public and private, including a major contribution already announced by Sanofi. Those funds will allow the structuring of an offer targeted to innovation projects with a unique gateway and simplified access to a set of services and platforms: best expertise in the field of cancer, health data, biological samples, specialized technological platforms, and the best skills at each stage of development, up to support for conducting phase I/II clinical trials.
The heart of the cluster will be located in Villejuif, near Gustave Roussy, in a rapidly developing area (ZAC Campus Grand Parc) that will soon be accessible by metro (5 minutes from Paris with the extended line 14). Industrial projects, ranging from start-ups to R&D teams from large corporations, will be able to settle there to be as close as possible to the ecosystem and benefit from the PSCC's services, in a setting that encourages interaction and cross-fertilization of talents and expertise.
The PSCC will be in charge of animating this ecosystem, facilitating cooperations, and helping with financing. The first calls for projects will take place in 2023 for a launch of the orientation services and the first platforms by the end of next year.
Unique in Europe in its size and ambition, the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster's mission is to accelerate the development of innovations to make them available to patients more quickly. Its international scope will position France among the world leaders in converting science into value in the field of oncology, for patients and society as a whole.
" We are honored to have been selected today by the French government as part of France 2030. The PSCC will bring together mature and emerging industrial companies with the multidisciplinary expertise of the academic ecosystem in order to develop tomorrow's treatments and diagnostic tests in France, which will improve significantly the lives of cancer patients." said Prof. Eric Vivier, President of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster association.
" We are ready to materialize our support offer for developing innovative projects. The PSCC aims to accelerate the maturation of these projects by providing access to a range of services and expertise through a one-stop shop, enabling start-ups to grow and pharmaceutical companies to optimally develop their solutions in France." said Benjamin Garel, Managing Director of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster association.
Eric Vivier
University Professor - Hospital Practitioner, graduated from the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort, Doctor in Immunology from Paris-Saclay University and trained at Harvard, Eric Vivier directed the Marseille-Luminy Immunology Center, a research center under the supervision of Inserm, CNRS and from Aix Marseille University, from 2008 to 2017. Combining research and entrepreneurship, he is one of the founders of the biopharmaceutical company Innate Pharma, of which he is now scientific director. He is also one of the founders of Marseille Immunopôle, an immunology cluster.
Benjamin Garel
A polytechnician engineer, Benjamin Garel worked for several years within the framework of competitiveness clusters, in the regions and at the General Directorate for State Modernization. He then worked as Director of Quality at the Grenoble University Hospital, Director of Operations at the AP-HP and he managed the Martinique University Hospital for 3 years.
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About Gustave Roussy
Ranked first in Europe and among the top institutes in the world in the fight against cancer, Gustave Roussy constitutes a center of global expertise entirely dedicated to cancer patients. A source of therapeutic innovations and diagnostic advances, the Institute welcomes nearly 50,000 patients each year and develops an integrated approach between research, care and teaching. An expert in rare cancers and complex tumours, Gustave Roussy treats all cancers, at all stages and all ages of life. It offers its patients personalized care that combines innovation and humanity, where care is taken into account as well as the physical, psychological and social quality of life. With 4,100 professionals spread over two sites, Villejuif and Chevilly-Larue, Gustave Roussy brings together the expertise essential for high-level cancer research; a quarter of the patients treated are included in clinical trials.
About Sanofi
We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions.
Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY
About Inserm
Created in 1964, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is a public scientific and technological institution, placed under the dual supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Inserm is the only French public organization dedicated to biological, medical and human health research and is positioned on the entire path from the research laboratory to the patient's bedside. Its researchers are dedicated to the study of all diseases, from the most frequent to the rarest. To this end, most of its laboratories are located as close as possible to places of care and education. This structure is a guarantee of success, through the pooling of skills, attractiveness for talent and proximity to patients. With a budget of nearly one billion, Inserm supports more than 280 laboratories spread across France. All the teams bring together nearly 14,000 researchers, engineers, technicians, managers, hospital-university students, post-doctoral students.
About Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris) is a public higher education and research institution that brings together five prestigious French engineering Schools: École Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris, ENSAE Paris, Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis. Under the auspices of the Institute, they share their combined expertise to fulfil two major ambitions: to develop educational programs of excellence and cutting-edge research in science and technology. Thanks to the academic anchorage of its five founding Schools and its alliance with HEC Paris, IP Paris positions itself as a leading teaching and research institution in France and internationally.
About Paris-Saclay University
Born of the combined will of universities, grandes écoles and research organizations, the Université Paris-Saclay is one of the leading European and world universities, covering the sectors of Science and Engineering, Life Sciences and Health, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Its scientific policy closely links research and innovation, and is expressed in both fundamental and applied sciences to meet the major challenges facing society. From the undergraduate to the doctoral level, and including grandes écoles programs, the Université Paris-Saclay offers training in a wide range of disciplines to help students succeed and find employment. It prepares students for a rapidly changing society, where critical thinking, agility and the ability to renew one's skills are the keys to predicting and improving the future. Université Paris-Saclay also offers a rich program of lifelong learning. Located south of Paris on a vast territory, the Université Paris-Saclay benefits from a geographical position that favors both its international visibility and close ties with its socio-economic partners - large industrial groups, SMEs, start-ups, local authorities, associations, etc.
About UNICANCER
UNICANCER is the only French hospital federation 100% dedicated to the fight against cancer, bringing together 19 private non-profit health institutions with more than 22,000 employees and 530,000 patients treated each year. UNICANCER represents one third of French international publications in oncology. It is also the leading academic promoter of clinical trials in oncology at the European level, with nearly 7,654 patients included per year and more than 700 active clinical trials promoted.
https://www.unicancer.fr
About Institut Curie
The Institut Curie, major French cancer center, combines an internationally renowned research center with a state-of-the-art hospital complex that treats all cancers, including the rarest. Founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, the Institut Curie brings together more than 3,700 researchers, physicians and caregivers at three sites (Paris, Saint-Cloud and Orsay) to carry out its three missions: care, research and teaching. The hospital complex and its 2,219 employees treat more than 52,000 patients each year and is the leading European center for breast cancer treatment. The Research Center has 87 research teams and 19 technological platforms, which generated 536 international scientific publications in 2021. The Institut Curie has a CLIP2, a SIRIC, a Carnot Institute, 2 RHU, 20 European ERCs and 28 start-ups. As a public utility foundation authorized to receive donations and legacies, the Institut Curie can, thanks to the support of its donors, accelerate discoveries and thus improve treatments and the quality of life of patients.
About Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP)
The AP-HP and its 38 hospitals are organized into six university hospital groups (AP-HP. Center - Université Paris Cité; AP-HP. Sorbonne University; AP-HP. Nord - Université Paris Cité; AP-HP. Université Paris Saclay; AP-HP. Henri Mondor University Hospitals and AP-HP. Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Seine-Saint-Denis) and are structured around five Ile-de-France universities. Closely linked to major research organizations, AP-HP has four world-class university hospital institutes (ICM, ICAN, IMAGINE, FOReSIGHT) and the largest French health data warehouse (EDS). A major player in applied research and innovation in healthcare, the AP-HP holds a portfolio of 650 active patents, its clinical researchers sign more than 10,000 scientific publications each year and more than 4,000 research projects are currently under development, all sponsors included. In 2020, the AP-HP obtained the Carnot Institute label, which rewards the quality of its partnership research: the Carnot@AP-HP offers applied and clinical research solutions in the field of health to industrial players. In 2015, the AP-HP also created the AP-HP Foundation, which works directly with caregivers to support the organization of care, hospital staff and research within the AP-HP.
About Medicen
Medicen Paris Region (Medicen) was created in 2005 and is the healthcare competitiveness cluster of the Paris Region facilitating public-private partnerships and accelerating innovation. Its network brings together more than 510 healthcare innovation players, including 430 start-ups and SMEs in the healthcare technology sector, manufacturers of healthcare products, as well as the region's leading national research institutes and healthcare institutions.
Media Relations Contacts
Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster
Céline Voisin
Tel: +33 6 62 12 53 39
Email: presse@parissaclaycancercluster.org
Sanofi
Chrystel Baude
Tel: +33 6 70 98 70 59
Email: chrystel.baude@sanofi.com
Gustave Roussy
Claire Parisel
Tel: +33 6 17 66 00 26
Inserm
Priscille Riviere
Tel: +33 6 89 32 87 74
Email: presse@inserm.fr
Polytechnic Institute of Paris
Mathilde Ordas
Tel: +33 6 30 30 02 62
Paris-Saclay University
Gaelle Degrez Tel: +33 6 21 25 77 45
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