Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL)

Research topics

The CRCL is a research structure affiliated with the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, the national health and research bodies (Inserm and CNRS), the anticancer Léon Bérard centre (CLB) and with the Lyon Civic Hospital (HCL) as clinical parter. The CRCL was officially created in January 2011, following a positive evaluation by the National Agency for Research and Higher Education (AERES, Agence d’évaluation de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur) in January 2010.

The CRCL is headed by Alain Puisieux (deputies: Patrick Mehlen and Charles Dumontet). It comprises 20 teams, totalling over 400 people, including 110 researchers and teaching researchers. The aim of the CRCL is to increase the international recognition and the attractiveness of our research cluster, to facilitate the transfer of knowledge gained from cancer research to clinical application in oncology and to develop teaching and training.

The CRCL is organized around three scientific departments focused on the following research priorities:

• Tumoral escape (Management: Patrick Mehlen, Deputy: Laurent Bartholin)
• Information flow in the cancer cell (Management: Didier Auboeuf, Deputy: Ruth Rimokh)
• Immunity, Microenvironment, Virus (Co-Management: Christophe Caux & Fabien Zoulim)

The CRCL teams can rely on state-of-the-art technical equipment (cell sorting and cytometry platform, imaging, L3 laboratory, tumour model laboratory, related technological platforms on the Lyon-Est site) and shared services (administrative unit, autoclave, etc.) to support their projects.

One of the goals of the CRCL is to support the development of strong translational research to enable patients to benefit from breakthroughs in basic research as rapidly as possible. This crossover is rendered possible due to the dedication of clinicians and pathologists from the CLB and HCL within scientific teams, creating a seamless continuum between basic research and clinical applications

The CRCL teams are involved in the DEVweCAN "Cancer, Development, targeted therapies" LabEx (Laboratoire d'Excellence) project, a new research structure that has been created following a successful application to the "Investissement d'Avenir" national call in 2010 (Direction: P. Mehlen). In addition, the CRCL teams are associated with the LYRIC project (Dir. Jean-Yves Blay), a project that has been successfully evaluated following the national Plan Cancer SIRIC (Site for integrated cancer reseach, Site de recherche intégrée en cancérologie") call of the INCa in 2010.