Immun4cure: a university hospital institute (IHU) focused on autoimmune diseases
Supported by Montpellier University Hospital, Inserm, and the University of Montpellier, and coordinated by Christian Jorgensen, Director ofIRMB, the Immun4cure project has just been awarded University Hospital Institute status. As such, it has secured €20 million in funding to develop research and treatment for autoimmune diseases.
Nearly 80 diseases are caused by a malfunction of the immune system, leading it to attack the healthy tissues of its own body. Systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and type 1 diabetes are just a few examples. As the second leading cause of chronic pain, these autoimmune diseases, which affect eight times more women than men, are a major public health issue. Their management poses a significant challenge due to their increasing prevalence, the significant rise in the cost of treatment, and the difficulties involved in diagnosis.
Ambitious goals
To meet this challenge, a whole team has been assembled around Christian Jorgensen, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy (IRMB), to design a university hospital institute (IHU) dedicated to these systemic autoimmune diseases. Supported by Montpellier University Hospital, Inserm, and the University of Montpellier, Immun4care was selected by the ANR from among 25 applications. It thus joins the seven national IHU already certified and receives a grant of €20 million as part of the France 2030 plan. This sum will enable Montpellier's many multidisciplinary skills to be brought together, involving 15 research teams and more than 200 staff.
This IHU has several objectives, foremost among which are gaining a better understanding of systemic autoimmune diseases through the modeling of immune responses and enabling earlier detection of these diseases. Through the IHU, the three partners aim to offer patients an optimized care pathway by promoting access to innovative curative therapies based in particular on the development of RNA technologies. In the short term, patients will be able to benefit from cutting-edge medical analyses, participate in personalized, à la carte clinical trials by joining patient cohorts, and access innovative precision immunotherapies/biotherapies. Training has not been overlooked, as the IHU will support the creation of a health school to provide training in the use of these new strategies.
Strong local roots
Immun4cure is part ofMedVallée, a global center of excellence in global health supported by Montpellier Métropole, and benefits from the biotherapy support policy backed by the Occitanie Regional Council. It complements other initiatives such asthe ExposUM Institute,the Digital Health School, and the University Innovation Hub, and confirms the desire to make Montpellier a key international player in the fields of health, the environment, and food.