Labeled as a Carnot institute in 2020, OPALE aims to accelerate therapeutic progress in the field of leukemia and related diseases by bringing together French academic players in leading public-private research partnerships. Its Chairman, Prof. Hervé Dombret, reflects on the consortium's raison d'être and future outlook:
"The OPALE Carnot institute has only been in existence for a few years and is already establishing itself as a significant player in collaborative health research, specifically in the field of acute leukemias and related diseases, the latter being predominantly dysfunctions or marrow deficiencies promoting the development of acute leukemias. This field is of major interest for the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic options to adress various forms of cancerous diseases. Initial treatments targeting oncogenes or anti-apoptotic mechanisms, early successes related to the administration of antibodies, molecules combining antibodies and cytotoxic agents (antibody-drug conjugates), bispecific antibodies engaging T-cell effectors (BiTEs), or T-cells carrying chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T-cells) have been reported in acute leukemias.
The ambition of the OPALE consortium is to bring together all French academic actors working in this field (research units and platforms, clinical cooperative groups), with the aim of increasing and professionalizing collaborations between research and clinical sectors and public-private partnerships to accelerate access to innovations for the benefit of patients and society. Essential for their market entry and access to these innovations, validation through clinical trials and the collection of real-life data are integral parts of the collaborative research developed within OPALE. The historical role and expertise of French teams, combined with their networking capabilities and their desire to establish partnerships with leading European, American, or Asian centers, as well as the recent labeling of the hospital-university institute (IHU) THEMA Saint-Louis in the same medical-scientific domain, will make OPALE a key partner for any socio-economic actor involved in the field of acute leukemias and related diseases."