Genetic disorders: launch of the GIPTIS institute in Marseille confirmed

A new Euro-Mediterranean health facility in pursuit of excellence

The opening in Marseille of GIPTIS – the Euro-Mediterranean region's largest research center fighting "rare" genetic disorders – has been confirmed for 2023. The announcement followed the signature of a memorandum of understanding by all project partners. On a 20,000m² site at the La Timone university hospital campus (AP-HM), patients and their families will be accommodated in tailor-made spaces alongside 500 health professionals and researchers, promising startups and biotechnology and drug development experts. It provides the perfect environment for understanding and treating these disorders, which affect 3 million people in France, 30 million in Europe and 50 million in the Mediterranean area.

Backed by local "rare disorders" teams and by Prof. Nicolas Lévy, and supported by its academic partners, local community institutions and entrepreneurs, GIPTIS (the Genetics Institute for Patients, Therapies, Innovation and Science) is now a project which is coming to life and assembling around it a range of actors from institutional, economic, research and health backgrounds. The first meeting of its steering committee saw the creation of a roll-out plan for the La Timone site, resulting in the selection of a 2023 date for its opening.

GIPTIS: a remarkable building for research

The institute will be ideally located near the faculties of medicine and pharmacy, referral and rare disease specialist centers and hospital biology laboratories, and will be imbued with a strong architectural identity created by Wilmotte & Associés. It will facilitate a translational medicine approach, promoting bridges between basic, clinical, academic and industrial research while at the same time creating a comfortable, friendly environment for patients. The institute's economic model is based on self-financing operation, and building management is handled by a real estate company. It is equipped with advanced equipment, with an estimated total investment of €73 million.

Healthcare: better, faster, bigger

GIPTIS will provide an ideal framework for collaborations between the scientific and medical communities. Teams of doctors, basic and applied research staff, startups, drug manufacturers and patient associations can be assembled in close proximity to patients. This collaborative approach will be supported by completely redesigned management methods and tools.

The goal is to make every effort to accelerate research and advance scientific and medical knowledge as quickly as possible. Today, 95% of patients suffering from rare conditions lack access to appropriate treatment – and 60% of this number are children.

A new center of health excellence in Marseille

As a catalyst for innovation in the life sciences sector, the new center will be a significant asset. "Aix-Marseille-Provence is already internationally recognized in multiple health disciplines such as oncology and neuroscience, each of which have their own research centers. As a center of excellence in human genetics, it was time for Marseille to acquire a central, unifying hub to accelerate diagnoses, expand research capability, increase the number of effective treatments and improve care for patients and their families," explains Professor Nicolas Lévy, the world-renowned geneticist, GIPTIS institute founder and head of the La Timone medical genetics department.

This will be one of the largest research and health projects undertaken in the Mediterranean area, with six advanced technology platforms, a brand-new interconnected database system and ultra-powerful analysis tools.

Equitable access to care will be provided through mixed governance and international co-operation work, particularly with those Mediterranean countries most closely affected by genetic disorders, in order to facilitate the on-site development of centers of expertise.