Marseille: The immunology of tomorrow comes to life with Marseille Immunology Biocluster

This marks a decisive step which will allow the biocluster to receive its first funding and accelerate its deployment.

Marseille Immunology Biocluster (MIB) today announces its deployment following an agreement with the National Research Agency, in the presence of Christophe Mirmand, prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Renaud Muselier, President of the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Deputy President of Regions of France, Emmanuelle Charafe, Vice-President of the Metropolis, and Dr Lise Alter, Director General of the Health Innovation Agency.
Born from the alliance of actors from the private and public sectors in partnership with local authorities, the Marseille Immunology Biocluster project was in 2023 one of the five winners of the Biocluster call for projects of the Health Innovation 2030 plan, component Health of France 2030, launched in 2022 to strengthen the attractiveness of France as a land of innovation and research in cutting-edge fields, particularly in the health sector.
Thus, the MIB project aims to contribute to French sovereignty in the field of health and in particular immunotherapy, which holds promise for patients awaiting therapeutic responses.

A territorial anchor at the heart of an efficient ecosystem

Located in the heart of Marseille, a land of research in immunology for more than 40 years, MIB’s mission is to implement and develop cooperation between all stakeholders in the service of the immunology of tomorrow, at the national, European and international level. Coordinated by Aix Marseille University and involving around twenty partners, MIB brings together players from the academic, hospital, institutional and industrial worlds to accelerate research in immunology applied to four therapeutic areas: oncology, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and diseases. inflammatory.

An ambitious project to accelerate the discovery of immunotherapy drugs

MIB supports and develops an internationally recognized research and development ecosystem to amplify and accelerate the clinical research, approval and marketing phases of tomorrow’s treatments. From its prefiguration phase, MIB set itself ambitious 10-year objectives, reflecting the scientific and entrepreneurial dynamism of the project:

• Strengthen R&D projects: +50% phase I/II trials, 5 antibodies in phase II/III
• Develop new French drugs: 1 blockbuster drug and 3 approved niche antibodies
• Stimulate entrepreneurship through the creation of start-ups and the establishment of new businesses in France
• Contribute to the development of the economy: creation of 2,000 direct jobs and capitalization of startups

Concretely, MIB will participate, through its technological offering, in the detection of new antibodies and the acceleration of projects from R&D to industrialization including clinical research, including the provision of cutting-edge technological platforms from 2025 The support also includes an entrepreneurial component, notably a start-up studio and business service offers.

Support from public authorities essential to start the project

As part of the France 2030 program, Marseille Immunology Biocluster has been allocated 96 million Euros to launch and sustain its structure over the next 10 years.
Since 2023, the members of the pre-MIB prefiguration association have worked to formalize the MIB structure and have worked closely with the ANR teams and State services to achieve the signing of the Convention which defines the modalities for disbursement of France 2030 funds and the commitments of Marseille Immunology Biocluster.

“Health is a right for everyone. It is here, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, that we will discover the treatments of tomorrow, by bringing together researchers, manufacturers and caregivers within this unique biocluster in Europe. 96 million euros of State investment is national recognition by France 2030 at the heart of our regional cancer plan. This result is the fruit of an important fight, which we led with the University of Aix Marseille, the Métropole and the AP-HM. It is a perspective, a hope to see the disease recede and perhaps, one day, vanquished,” declared Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, Deputy President of Regions of France.