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Breakthrough Test Predicts Blood Cancer Treatment Success, Aims for Rapid Hospital Implementation
Montpellier, France – A novel technique developed through four years of collaborative research promises to dramatically improve the prediction of treatment effectiveness for leukemia and lymphomas. Scientists at the CHU Montpellier and the CNRS have created a method to assess how cancer cells respond to treatment by measuring their entry into apoptosis, or programmed cell death. The ultimate goal: widespread adoption within hospitals to personalize and optimize patient care.
Currently, determining the best course of action for blood cancer patients often involves a trial-and-error approach.This new test offers the potential to bypass that uncertainty, identifying upfront which patients are most likely to benefit from specific therapies. The innovation stems from a desire to make a complex technique, known as BH3 profiling, more accessible to clinicians without specialized expertise. If successfully implemented, it could revolutionize oncology by ushering in a new era of precision medicine.
The project’s success hinged on a close partnership between Professor Charles Herbaux of the CHU Montpellier and a team at the CNRS. Researchers and engineers at the CNRS were instrumental in refining the technique, ensuring its practicality for routine hospital use.
“We made sure that the technique was more accessible,” explained Valentin Jacquier, a biology researcher at the CNRS in Montpellier. “The goal is that it is set up in hospital, whether it is a simple technique for hospital practitioners, without having knowledge behind and the expertise of the BH3 technique. It will allow the doctor to have a new tool. It is up to doctors and hospitals to seize the work that has been done and to be able to set them up for their patients.”
Professor Herbaux anticipates this recognition will attract further funding and bolster biotechnology advancements within Montpellier. The research, detailed in reports from September 30, 2025, represents a meaningful step forward in personalized oncology, offering hope for more effective and targeted treatments for blood cancer patients.
