The Saint-Louis Research Institute

History of the Saint-Louis Research Institute (IRSL), Paris

The Saint-Louis Research Institute (IRSL), located on the grounds of Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, is part of a long tradition of scientific and medical innovation focusing on blood disorders, immunology, dermatology and oncology.

Origins and Foundation (1940s–1958)

The history of the IRSL begins with the post-war scientific boom, with the first major advances in onco-haematology emerging in the 1940s and 1950s. Back in 1947, Professors Jean Bernard and Marcel Bessis achieved the first remission of leukaemia at Hérold Hospital using exchange transfusion, marking a decisive turning point in the treatment of these diseases. After joining Saint-Louis Hospital, Professor Jean Bernard established a haematology department and founded the research institute in 1958 under the name Institut Universitaire d’Hématologie (IUH).

This research centre is driven by a strong ambition: bringing together research into blood and immune system disorders, fostering collaboration between clinicians and researchers, and integrating various scientific disciplines into a shared approach, foreshadowing today’s university hospital institutes (IHU).

Development and Major Discoveries (1960s–2000s)

Throughout the following decades, the institute became a leading centre for biomedical research in haematology and immunology, making some significant discoveries:

  • 1980: Jean Dausset was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the HLA tissue groups, which are essential for organ transplants.
  • The 1970s: New forms of monoclonal gammopathies, Jean-Claude Brouet and Maxime Seligmann
  • 1970s–1980s: classification of aggressive leukemias by a Franco-American-British group of five people, including Georges Flandrin and Marie-Thérèse Daniel.
  • October 1988: the world’s first bone marrow transplant using umbilical cord blood, Éliane Gluckman.
  • The 1990s: Development of a targeted treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia, transforming our understanding of and prognosis for this disease, Laurent Degos and Hugues de Thé
  • 1995: Castleman’s disease (HHV-8), Jean Soulier and Eric Oksenhendler
  • 1990s–2000s: coordination of collaborative groups and clinical research into severe leukemia, myeloproliferative syndromes, lymphomas, myeloma, aplastic anaemia and bone marrow transplants.
  • 1990s–2000s: the rise of genomics, enabling the identification of new types of leukaemia, residual disease and therapeutic targets.

These achievements illustrate the institute’s ability to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications, helping to significantly improve treatments for leukaemia and other onco-haematological diseases.

Recent innovations and the rise of precision medicine (2010–2020)

Since the 2010s, the IRSL has played a key role in the development of innovative strategies:

  • The use of immunotherapies and CAR-T cells in France for paediatric, adolescent and young adult leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas.
  • Advances in the genetics of blood disorders (predispositions).
  • Development of ‘precision medicine’ through the introduction of molecular multidisciplinary team meetings and the France Genomic Medicine Plan in haematology.

The institute is also strengthening its international outreach and scientific collaborations, while integrating new research teams starting in 2019.

Modern restructuring and expansion of the departments

Along with the merger of the universities, the IUH evolved to become the Saint-Louis Research Institute (IRSL), under the joint supervision of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Université Paris Cité and INSERM (Joint Research Unit 1342). It has specialised its scope of activity across several disciplines, which today reflect the four thematic areas underpinning its research activity:

  • Haematology, Oncology
  • Immunology, Infectious diseases, Biotherapies
  • Dermatology, Oncology
  • Data Science, Cohorts, Social Sciences and Humanities

The institute has a two-fold mission: research – fundamental, translational and clinical – and teaching, mainly through PhD programmes and European programmes.

It is also part of a unique university hospital ecosystem, bringing together the hospital, research and industry within the Saint-Louis campus.

Recent developments and future directions

In 2023, a project focusing on leukaemia, led by Professor H. de Thé, was designated a University Hospital Institute (IHU) as part of the France 2030 plan: the Paris Saint-Louis Leukaemia Institute.

Also established were the SIRIC InSitu, co-led by R. Itzykson and Bichat; the FAME E. Azoulay and SPRINT A. de Masson resuscitation and T-cell lymphoma research units (RHU); and the TRANSVIR J. Le Goff and A. Amara virology and GRRROH E. Azoulay research units (FHU). Several research teams have been awarded ERC, ATIP-Avenir, ARC Foundation’s ‘Leader in Oncology’, Cancer Leagues or FRM accreditation.