...By 2028, the aim is to have a one-of-a-kind platform in the world to begin the first clinical trials involving patients with cancers of poor prognosis. This groundbreaking technology aims to treat incurable cancers for which current treatments have been largely ineffective and where little to no therapeutic progress has been made in recent years. It also seeks to minimize the side effects of anti-cancer therapies while shortening and lessening the burden of treatments.
Prof. Alain Puisieux, Chairman of Institut Curie’s Executive board : “ A historic cradle of radiotherapy, Institut Curie, thanks to its multidisciplinary teams, has acquired unrivalled international expertise in FLASH technology. Today, the FRATHEA project is the culmination of Dr. Vincent Favaudon[1]'s research work, and the turning point initiated some ten years ago at Institut Curie. Our ambition is to create a groundbreaking industrial dynamic at the heart of a scientific and medical cluster in the Paris region that is unique in Europe, and to transform our commitment into a clinical reality for patients."
By 2050, the number of new cancer cases worldwide is projected to exceed 35 million—a 77% increase from the 20 million estimated in 2022 (OMS, 2024). This sharp rise makes cancer a major global public health concern, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic options in oncology.
For François Jacq, General Administrator of the CEA: " This innovative feat could change the daily lives of millions of patients. Our collaboration with Institut Curie illustrates our respective historical expertise in digital instrumentation, metrology and radiobiology. FRATHEA reflects our determination to develop groundbreaking technologies to meet one of the greatest healthcare challenges of our century".
FLASH radiotherapy, a discovery made in Curie
The development of innovative radiotherapy technologies is one of the most promising avenues in cancer treatment, and FLASH radiotherapy is emerging as a revolutionary breakthrough. The FLASH effect was first discovered in the laboratories of Institut Curie[2]. This technique delivers extremely intense radiation—around 10 Gray compared to the 2 Gray used in conventional radiotherapy—in less than a second (under 100 milliseconds). It effectively destroys tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue, representing a significant advancement in cancer therapy. For over a decade, scientists at Institut Curie have been researching and accumulating scientific data [3] on this new radiotherapy approach using low-energy electron or proton beams. However, a significant challenge remains: low-energy electron beams lack the ability to penetrate deeply enough to reach tumors effectively.
To overcome this technological challenge, Institut Curie is focusing on combining FLASH with radiotherapy using Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE). These VHEE beams, with an energy range of 100 to 250 mega-electronvolts (MeV) compared to just 10 MeV in conventional radiotherapy, offer significant physical and biological advantages for treating deep-seated tumors. This highly precise technology is designed to shorten treatment times and specifically target cancers with poor prognoses located near vital organs—previously considered inaccessible—offering new hope for patients.
The preclinical implementation of these extremely intense, high-speed beams presents Institut Curie with major technological challenges in largely unexplored fields. To tackle these challenges, Institut Curie is collaborating closely with the CEA. This partnership focuses on three key objectives: developing innovative dosimetry methods to precisely control the dose delivered by the new irradiator and demonstrating its safety and efficacy to regulatory authorities (ASNR). Additionally, the collaboration aims to design advanced measurement instruments and conduct joint radiobiological studies. Delphine Lazaro, research director and FRATHEA project coordinator at CEA—an expert in nuclear instrumentation and modeling—describes FRATHEA as “an extraordinary opportunity to take a major step forward in the treatment of poor-prognosis cancers." “To achieve this, we must harness all our expertise in healthcare, working alongside Institut Curie to accomplish a technological feat. This means redefining standards, inventing cutting-edge instrumentation, understanding the physical and biological mechanisms behind the FLASH effect, and optimizing them to benefit patients.”
FRATHEA: A Unique Île-de-France Platform at the Heart of a Leading European Medical and Scientific Hub
To drive its strategic vision forward, Institut Curie is launching the operational phase of the FRATHEA (Flash RAdiation THerapy Electron Acceleration) project in collaboration with the CEA. The project is backed by a €37 million investment over four years: €35 million from the Innovation Healthcare 2030 plan, part of the France 2030 initiative and €2 million from the Île-de-France Region’s “Grands lieux d'innovation” (GLI) scheme in 2023. The GLI scheme fosters the development of cutting-edge R&D and experimental platforms, incubators, and industrial infrastructures essential for advancing technology transfer and collaborative innovation in the Paris Region.
> The first step is identifying a partner to construct and install the FLASH-VHEE medical irradiator at the heart of Institut Curie’s Orsay hospital site. The tender process is currently underway, with the partner set to be chosen by summer 2025.
> The second phase of the project involves the construction, assembly and installation of the FLASH-VHEE irradiator on the Orsay site, a historic site where Frédéric Joliot had the first proton accelerator in the 1950s. The biggest advantage is that FRATHEA's extraordinary equipment will be installed in a large area of Institut Curie's proton therapy center, which is already well identified and in the process of being fitted out. These premises meet all the conditions and infrastructures required for the installation of the FLASH VHEE irradiator, particularly in terms of safety and security. At the same time, researchers and clinicians from Institut Curie, in collaboration with CEA teams, will conduct studies in dosimetry, physics, and radiobiology to lay the groundwork for future treatment protocols and the deployment of FLASH-VHEE radiotherapy.
Finally, the project's last phase will focus on preclinical studies to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of FLASH-VHEE radiotherapy, a technology that is not yet available in France. The FRATHEA project teams will be working together to prove that the new experimental platform in place is safe, effective and, above all, will enable a rapid response to therapeutic needs that have not yet been adequately addressed.
" Today, Institut Curie boasts the most comprehensive radiotherapy technical platform in Europe. As the leading proton therapy center in France, Institut Curie is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and is a leader in FLASH radiotherapy research”, says Prof. Gilles Créhange, head of the Oncological Radiotherapy Department at Institut Curie and coordinator of the FRATHEA project. Tomorrow, with the support of the French government through France 2030, which is making the FRATHEA project possible, we are reaching a major milestone: demonstrating the clinical benefits of FLASH-VHEE radiotherapy and, within a few years, establishing a platform to treat patients with the most high-risk and hard-to-reach cancers. Cure better, suffer less, and age better—this is the essence of the clinical promise surrounding FLASH therapy. ″
The hope of opening clinical trials by 2028
Once the FRATHEA project is completed, Institut Curie will have an experimental platform open to a range of academic and private partners, in line with other major innovation facilities in the Paris region. It will bring together state-of-the-art equipment, biological models and technological tools to accelerate development phases and clinical trials for all types of treatment, particularly in oncology. Lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, pediatric tumors, re-irradiation: the first therapeutic targets for FLASH-VHEE will be cancers for which treatments are not sufficiently effective or are still too toxic, and for which little or no therapeutic progress has been observed for several years.
”The operational launch of the FRATHEA project illustrates Institut Curie's tremendous innovation drive, particularly in radiotherapy, a field in which we are deploying a €56 million investment strategy over 6 years. While the strength of this groundbreaking project lies in the historical, multidisciplinary and recognized expertise of Institut Curie teams, the installation of our FLASH-VHEE platform as close as possible to patients, at the very heart of a hospital site, makes this project unique worldwide", says Prof. Steven Le Gouill, Director of Institut Curie Hospital Group.
Crucial financial support from France 2030 and the Île-de-France Region
According to Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment, “ the France 2030 government investment plan was designed to enable innovative technologies to be developed in France, making the country a leader in a number of strategic fields, including healthcare. With the FRATHEA project, we are investing to break down technological barriers in the field of radiotherapy and thus bring about a major improvement in patient care and a reduction in treatment costs. In addition to our investment, the support provided by the French Agency for Healthcare Innovation should enable us to demonstrate the proof of concept of this technology, make it available to the research community, and facilitate its adoption by as many people as possible.”
For Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France Region: “The FRATHEA project is fully in line with the strategic priorities of the Île-de-France Region, which aims to make our region a hub of innovation on a European scale, particularly in healthcare and especially in oncology. This “flash therapy” technology, developed by Institut Curie researchers, holds great promise and opens up new prospects for curing certain types of cancer which, until now, have remained without an effective therapeutic solution. By supporting this Institut Curie project, the Île-de-France Region is proud to contribute to the fight against cancer and to improve patients' healthcare " .
Discover the FRATHEA project in pictures:
FRATHEA: the new era of Flash radiotherapy opens at Institut Curie - YouTube
©ImagesAltourProduction
Press contacts :
Institut Curie :
Elsa Champion - elsa.champion@curie.fr / 07 64 43 09 28
Myriam Hamza - myriam.hamza@havas.com / 06 45 87 46 51
Secrétariat général pour l’investissement / Agence de l’innovation en santé :
presse.sgpi@pm.gouv.fr / florence.gaudin@pm.gouv.fr
About Institut Curie
Institut Curie, France's leading cancer center, combines an internationally renowned research center with a state-of-the-art Hospital Group that treats all cancers, including the rarest. Founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, Institut Curie has 3 sites (Paris, Saint-Cloud and Orsay) and employs more than 3,800 researchers, doctors and caregivers in its 3 missions: care, research and teaching. Institut Curie is a charitable foundation authorized to receive donations and bequests. Thanks to the support of its donors, Institut Curie is able to speed up discoveries, thereby improving treatments and the quality of life of patients.
For more information: curie.fr, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, BlueSky
About the CEA
With its unique model, the CEA is a public research organization whose mission is to enlighten public decision-making and provide French and European companies, as well as local authorities, with the scientific and technological resources they need to better master major societal transformations around energy and digital transitions, healthcare of the future, and global defense and security. This mission is underpinned by three core values that guide the actions of the CEA and its teams: curiosity, cooperation and a sense of responsibility.
For more information: cea.fr, Facebook, LinkedIn
About France 2030
- France has a twofold ambition: to drive long-term transformation in key economic sectors—healthcare, energy, automotive, aeronautics, and space—through technological innovation, and to establish itself not just as a participant, but as a global leader in the future economy. From basic research, to developing an idea, to producing a new product or service, France 2030 supports the entire innovation life cycle, right through to industrialization.
- Is unprecedented in its scope: 54 Bn€ will be invested so that our companies, universities and research organizations can successfully make the transition to these strategic sectors. The aim is to enable them to respond competitively to the ecological and attractiveness challenges of the world to come, and to nurture future leaders in key sectors. France 2030 is defined by two cross-functional objectives: to devote 50% of its spending to decarbonizing the economy, and 50% to emerging, innovative players, without spending money that is detrimental to the environment (in line with the Do No Significant Harm principle).
- Is implemented collectively: designed and deployed in consultation with economic, academic, local and European players to determine its strategic orientations and flagship actions. Project leaders are invited to submit their applications via open, demanding and selective procedures, in order to benefit from government support.
- It is managed by the Secrétariat Général pour l'Investissementon behalf of the Prime Minister, and implemented by the Agence de la Transition Ecologique (ADEME), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), Bpifrance and the Banque des Territoires.
For more information: https://www.gouvernement.fr/france-2030 | @SGPI_avenir
About the Île-de-France Region :
The Île-de-France region is a leader in France and the European Union when it comes to innovation , thanks to one of the world's most effective ecosystems: 1st economic region in Europe, leading hub for startups in the European Union with 8,000 startups representing 40% of French startups, 80% of funds raised and almost all unicorns valued at over 1 billion euros. These outstanding results stem from a regional policy that promotes the widespread adoption of educational digital technology, funds projects and innovation centers across the Paris region, and fosters collaboration and networking among key innovation stakeholders.
[1] Radiobiologist at Institut Curie
[2] See Fact Sheet 1 - History of a revolutionary discovery at Institut Curie
[3] See Fact Sheet 3 - List of publications
