Fabienne HERMITTE

Our subject at HalioDx is diagnostic in immuno-oncology, a revolutionary therapeutic approach in which therapeutic results are very interesting, but only concern a limited number of patients. To date, it is still unclear how to identify in advance those patients who will respond to new immunotherapeutic antibodies, and even if certain biomarkers are already available, their predictive value is insufficient to decide whether or not to prescribe immunotherapy.

In response, HalioDx develops tests to better characterise the patient’s immune response against cancer, to establish more precisely patient prognosis and to predict their response to treatment, whether they are standard treatments or new immunotherapies.

The Ipsogen adventure, started in 1999 with blood cancers diagnosis, including their rarest forms, allowed me to contribute to the standardisation of technologies for diagnosis and monitoring of leukaemia and, in connection with European networks (EAC; Europe Against Cancer) and ELN (European LeukemiaNet), to establish the medical value of our tests. Today at HalioDx, we apply the same approach. We implement clinical validation plans with diagnostic tests on patient sample collections that are characterised and supplied with clinical data (administered treatments, survival data, etc).

Diagnostic in immuno-oncology is an innovative field combining the latest discoveries in immunology and new imaging technologies, such as digital pathology. In this context, Marseille Immunopôle is an extraordinary lever for developing the entire chain, from prognostic and predictive biomarkers discovery to their clinical validation in routine use to provide patients with personalised care.