The CRISTAL UNLIMITED Chair: a strong commitment to leukemia research

A collective mobilization against acute leukemia

It all began on February 5, 2024, with the signing of a sponsorship agreement between the Foundation Unlimited (Newrest) and the Fondation Toulouse Cancer Santé.

Subsequently, the Foundation Unlimited created a dedicated fund of €900,000, spread over three years, to support the work of the hematology department at Toulouse University Hospital and the Inserm-CRCT team.

Their mission: to better understand the mechanisms of treatment resistance in acute leukemia. These cancers, caused by the uncontrolled multiplication of immature cells in the bone marrow, remain difficult to treat despite medical advances. Current treatments are heavy, and the risk of relapse is high.

Understanding dormant cells to better eliminate them

The project focuses particularly on so-called “dormant” cells, which can survive chemotherapy and reactivate the disease months or even years later.

The METAML laboratory team, led by Dr. Clément Larrue and Prof. Christian Récher, is developing experimental models to study these resistant cells. Using cutting-edge technologies, researchers analyze their functioning in depth to identify therapeutic targets and predictive markers of relapse.

The goal is clear: better detect these cells and eliminate them before they cause a relapse.

Towards more targeted and better tolerated treatments

By 2026, the CRISTAL UNLIMITED Chair aims to validate new therapeutic approaches and test more than 3,000 molecules on patient cells.

A clinical cohort will also monitor the evolution of identified markers throughout treatment.

This project could not only improve the management of AML patients but also pave the way for more effective and less toxic treatments for other blood cancers. A concrete hope for patients, driven by cutting-edge research from Toulouse.