A “remarkable” event. In September 2022, Inserm, the Toulouse Cancer Santé Foundation and Oncopole launched a call for applications for the creation of a chair, the aim of which was to advance research in the field of triple negative breast cancer.
They retained the Doctor Lorenzo Scipioni36 ans, postdoctoral researcher in the department of biomedical engineering at the University of California at Irvine, in the United States, and which has just moved to Toulouse Cancer Research Center (CRCT).
This collective commitment is the demonstration that we can unite different energies to come together and offer a chair of excellence for young talents”, rejoices Gilles Favre, general director of the Toulouse Cancer Santé Foundation.
An aggressive form of cancer that is difficult to treat
Aggressive form of breast cancer, Triple negative breast cancer mainly affects young women (before the age of 40). It is characterized by the absence of three types of receptors on cancer cells.
Thus, certain treatments that target the latter, such as hormone therapy or targeted anti-HER2 therapy, do not work and the therapeutic arsenal to combat the disease is then reduced.
According to our colleagues at Health Magazinein 30% of cases, triple negative breast cancer is a hereditary form. Furthermore, it is considered more invasive due to its relapse rate which is 20 to 30% of cases.
If triple negative breast cancer can be suspected after a clinical examination or mammogram, the symptoms are the same as any type of breast cancer.
Among which, one lump in the breast, not painfula recently appeared breast deformitya nipple retraction or deviationor even a redness and a feeling of warmth in the breast
And orange peel appearancea pain in the breastof the swollen and palpable lymph nodes in the armpitand greenish or blood-colored discharge from the nippleand/or a deterioration of general condition (fatigue, nausea), should also alert.
An investment of two million euros
Driven by the dynamism of Toulouse cancerology scientific centerthis chair project brings together several stakeholders who act in different registers: from financing to management including the provision of technical means.
Funded for the next five years, the research program of Doctor Lorenzo Scipioni represents, for all these actors, a great promise of progress in the fight against cancer.
When you go to the doctor, they check your heart, your lungs, order blood tests to check that your kidneys and liver are working well. Thanks to our technology, we can do the same thing for cells,” explains Doctor Lorenzo Scipioni.
And to add that“By combining chemical tools, highly advanced microscopes and computer science, including artificial intelligence, we can now understand how cells behave”.
Mobilized around a common project of excellence, Inserm, the Toulouse Cancer Santé Foundation, TotalÉnergies and Oncopole, have invested together two million euros in breast cancer research.
This chair also embodies a private-public collaboration successful in medical research in Toulouse, which constitutes a “sound box” important to support young researchers.
For Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, director of citizen engagement at TotalEnergies, “this partnership demonstrates the company’s attachment to the city of Toulouse and its desire to make a positive contribution to society”.
And the Oncopole ensures the interface with clinical research, Inserm welcomes Doctor Lorenzo Scipioni to its premises, at the CRCTbuilding located at Oncopole. In addition to accommodation, the CRCT provides its entire environment.
The talent seeker will also benefit from a personalized support for the continuation of his research.
Called Espresso, its technology “makes it possible to analyze cells with unequaled precision, to contribute to better management of the most serious cancers”said Doctor Pierre Cordelier, director of the CRCT.
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