Prof. Michael Hall has been a member of the ISREC Foundation’s Scientific Board since June 2016. He has recently been awarded the Prix Mondial Nessim Habif in recognition of his exceptional scientific career and his commitment to Geneva and the University of Geneva. His discoveries have profoundly changed our understanding of cell proliferation, a key process in cancer development as well as in other affections such as metabolic disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. His research has led to the discovery of entirely new and revolutionary drugs. The ISREC Foundation is proud to be able to count on this brilliant scientist’s expertise.

Congratulations to Prof. Denis Migliorini (holder of the ISREC Foundation Immuno-Oncology Chair) and his team for their publication in Human Gene Therapy. The article explains how to choose the appropriate genetic engineering tool for CAR-T cells.

Catherine Labouchère, president of the ISREC Foundation from 2016 to January 2021, was awarded this year’s medal of the University of Geneva. This well-deserved recognition underscores her extraordinary contribution to the defense of the Swiss scientific community, her unfailing support for the academic institutions between Geneva and Lausanne, as well as her commitment to the building of the AGORA cancer research cluster, which benefits the entire scientific community in the Lake of Geneva area.

Congratulations to Professor Mikaël Pittet, holder of the ISREC Foundation’s Immuno-Oncology Chair: his research, performed in collaboration with scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has made it possible to explain why colorectal cancer is resistant to immunotherapies, and to put forward a new, potentially efficient therapeutic combination. The study of the composition of the immune cells present in liver metastases of colorectal cancer revealed the absence of dendritic cells in these tumors. The antitumoral properties of these immune cells are essential for the proper functioning of the immune system, and reinforcing the presence of these cells in the tumor may thus improve the efficiency of immunotherapies.

The ISREC Foundation built the AGORA cancer research cluster to promote an approach connecting bedside and laboratory. Today, the Foundation is proud to have seven of the world’s leading immunotherapy specialists working in its research center.

ISREC Foundation is launching a new call for research projects that bridge from clinic to bench.

Delighted to announce the upcoming workshop “Organoids in Cancer Research workshop” in person (COVID-safe) on 24 Nov., 2021 at the AGORA Cancer Research Center in Lausanne.

Congratulations to Prof. Elisa Oricchio, who held an ISREC Chair in Translational Oncology from 2014 to 2020. Elisa Oricchio’s research is geared towards understanding the role of genetic and epigenetic changes in carcinogenesis, and how these changes influence patients’ responses to cancer treatments. She has developed very sophisticated methods for use in genomics and chromatin structural analysis that are of great interest to the entire school. Her work is not only of fundamental scientific significance, but also identifies potential new targets for the development of cancer treatments. This renowned researcher is a leading expert in her field as well as a popular lecturer among students.
The ISREC Foundation is proud to have helped launch the career of this brilliant researcher.

Once again, the SUR-SRP “Summer Research” program (July 5 to August 27), organized by the UNIL and the EPFL and supported by the ISREC Foundation, was a huge success. The students were thrilled to discover AGORA. We hope that this once-in-a-lifetime experience will open up new horizons for them.

The ISREC Foundation is proud to support the work of Prof. Johanna Joyce and her team, who have developed a comprehensive and integrated toolkit for a more efficient analysis of the immune landscape in brain tumor samples. These results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature.