Presentation of the CRCM
The Marseille Cancer Research Center celebrates its 50th anniversary ! -
CRCM Organigram
A continuum in cancer research, from basic research, to translational and clinical research
The Marseille Cancer Research Centre (CRCM) is affiliated with Inserm (UMR1068), the CNRS (UMR7258), the Aix-Marseille University (UM105) and the Institut Paoli-Calmettes (IPC).
It comprises nearly 450 people in 21 teams and 18 technological platforms coordinated in the form of a Core Tech. More than 25 nationalities are represented at CRCM, collaborating with the largest national and international institutes and partenering with multiple networks of excellence.
Research at the CRCM addresses fundamental aspects, ranging from initiation to development of cancer to its dissemination in more aggressive (metastatic) form with the objective of identifying molecular alterations, mechanisms of genome instability and repair and studying their functional consequences in in vitro and in vivo settings. The contribution of the tumour microenvironment and the immune system are other important and contributing area of research at the CRCM. This interdisciplinary research is carried out at the molecular, cellular and pathophysiological levels, using simple and more complex cellular models (organoids) or recapitulating the stages of the tumour process in animals. These multi-scale approaches allow the identification of new therapeutic targets and aim to develop innovative approaches targeting alterations in the cancer cell or its environment with the aim of progressing towards new treatments.
Translational and clinical research allows the identification of new prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers and the launch of innovative clinical trials closely linked to laboratory activities, a strategy that is another major strength of the CRCM and the IPC. This continuum of basic-translational-clinical science is the hallmark of the CRCM, consistent with the founding missions of the IPC – patient care, education, research and innovation – and is reflected in numerous joint publications between researchers and clinicians.
With the help of its administrative and financial services, the CRCM management team provides the necessary support for this research work and promotes a strong policy of technology transfer and socio-economic development.
The CRCM is also strongly involved in training through its involvement in the Masters and Doctorate courses of the Aix-Marseille University and the University Institutes in Cancer and Immunology, Imaging and Artificial Intelligence.
Direction
Jean-Paul Borg
Director of the CRCM
Management team
Alice Carrier
- Coordination and organization of CRCM’s functional and institutional life Committees
- Human resources for researchers
Yves Collette
- Coordination and organization of technology platforms
- Organization of institutional events (SAB, HCERES, Laboratory council, Team leaders' meeting, General management committee, General assembly)
- Relations with the Hospital (IPC, AP-HM)
- Human Resources for ITA
Christophe Lachaud
- Departments cohesion, in conjunction with Department Heads
- Cross-functional and/or external programs, including international ones
A transversal and multidisciplinary approach to cancer research
The CRCM hosts 21 internationally renowned research teams. Their main scientific and medical topics are the molecular basis of oncogenesis and tumor dissemination, as well as the development of innovative therapeutic innovations for breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and hematological malignancies. Our cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to cancer research is translated into scientific projects exploring the fundamental bases of tumorigenesis from a molecular and functional point of view in integrated experimental models - tumor oncogenes and suppressors, signaling and cellular polarity, regulation of the epigenome, genome instability, DNA repair, cellular stress, tumor-host interactions and anti-tumor immunity - and their applications in new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for major pathologies of the hospital.
The originality of the CRCM lies in its capacity to treat major clinical problems (resistance to treatment, prognosis, anti-metastasis strategies …) thanks to our interactive translational and clinical programs involving physicianss, pharmacists and scientists.
Key figures
- 400 people (researchers, teacher-researchers, clinicians, post docs, engineers, technicians, administrative staff and students)
- 8000m2 of laboratory area
- 21 research teams working closely with IPC clinical teams
- Their priority scientific and medical activities are, on the one hand, to decipher the molecular bases of oncogenesis and tumor dissemination and, on the other hand, discover and implement therapeutic innovations in the treatment of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and hematological malignancies.
Nombre de chercheurs au sein de l'institut
| 2008 | 2012 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| 120 | 250 | 400 |
17 technological platforms
Scientists and physicians at IPC and at CRCM have access to state-of-the-art technological facilities, covering all experimental models and all scales of analysis, to improve diagnosis, treatment monitoring and the follow up of patients.