SIRIC ILIAD’s clinical research
Clinical research is indispensable to the development of new treatments for cancer. It comes between care and research and enables patients to access the most recent therapeutic and diagnostic innovations. The clinical trials of the SIRIC ILIAD result in the transfer of the results from translational research to clinical research.
The clinical trials cover all 3 programmes of the SIRIC ILIAD, from the eradication of tumours and tumour resistance, all the way to quality of life and return to work. This involves the evaluation of anti-cancerous molecules, radiotherapy, imaging, diagnostics, as well as the impact of the cancer on the patients’ quality of life.

- Translational research enables the results from fundamental research to be put to medical use.
- Fundamental research in cancer aims at understanding the mechanisms that lead to cancer and provides theoretical knowledge.
- Clinical research is carried out on humans and aims to improve knowledge about a disease, an investigative method, or a treatment.
The ILIAD CLIP²
The ILIAD CLIP², led by the GCS IréCAN (CHU of Nantes, ICO and CHU of Angers), was certified in April 2019 by the INCa. CLIP²s (Certified Early-Phase Centres ) are investigative centres specialised in early-phase clinical trials (phase I, phase I-II) of new drugs. The ILIAD CLIP² is one of the 16 CLIP²s certified until 2024 and is among the 7 which have a dual-certification for their activity in adult and pediatric cancer research, pediatrics often being forgotten in early-phase trials.
The previous CLIP² projects enabled the creation of the largest network of early-phase clinical trials in the West of France, for all types of cancer in adults and children, and included more than 450 patients in 2017. They also developed strong partnerships with private pharmaceutical laboratories and both French and international academic teams, which provided preferential access to new targeted therapies (like Bcl-2 inhibitors or CAR-T cells).
The ILIAD CLIP² has the objective of launching innovative early-phase trials in the area of radionuclides, tumour resistance and human and social sciences. The new units participate in the ILIAD CLIP², facilitating access to therapeutic innovation in the West of France.