Offers
Thanks to tailor-made care, advanced prevention strategies and excellent training, the IHU RespirERA offers innovative solutions to better understand and treat respiratory diseases.
PNEUMOLOGY, THORACIC ONCOLOGY, ALLERGOLOGY AND RESPIRATORY INTENSIVE CARE
The pneumology team offers comprehensive, innovative care for lung cancer and the main respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, respiratory insufficiency, infiltrative lung diseases, sleep-disordered breathing).
The team has national expertise in immuno-allergic diseases and severe allergies. It coordinates the diagnosis and treatment of allergies to drugs, contrast media, food and hymenoptera in the PACA-East and Corsica regions.
Some of its areas of expertise are accredited by the health authorities, such as the centres of expertise for cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, Rendu-Osler disease and rare lung diseases.
Patients are cared for as part of amulti-professional, coordinated and efficient patient pathway, in the outpatient or inpatient sector, depending on the severity/complexity of the problem.
The department has a modern, high-performance technical platform for functional respiratory investigations at rest and during exercise, sleep-disordered breathing investigations, conventional and interventional respiratory endoscopy, a respiratory rehabilitation centre and outpatient therapeutic education.
The department is divided into 8 functional units: outpatient department, day hospital for pneumology, allergology and thoracic oncology (17 places), conventional hospitalisation (26 beds), weekday hospitalisation (7 beds), sleep explorations (4 beds), intensive respiratory care (8 beds), technical support centre and clinical research unit.
The Pneumology team is a founding member of the University Hospital Institute RespirERA, the first French institute dedicated to respiratory diseases.
Studying the role of the environment and senescence on lung cancer and the main chronic respiratory diseases is at the heart of the IHU RespirERA's missions. Located in the department itself, the Clinical Research Unit is one of the strengths of the institute. It is run by a team of 7 engineers and 3 nurses dedicated to research, and gives patients access to innovative treatments as part of early-phase clinical trials.
THORACIC SURGERY
The thoracic surgery team takes a resolutely modern and innovative approach to most oncological, benign and malformative thoracic pathology in the lung, mediastinum, parietal and oesophagus.
Its activities are organised on a regional basis, enabling it to fulfil its role as a referral centre and university hospital.
The thoracic surgery department - the only one in the region to have achieved the highest level of B2 certification for oncology surgery - is continually developing its oncology excision surgery activity, based on the innovative principle of sparing.
For each patient, according to a personalised programme, these savings target three areas: 1- socio-professional life, 2- lung tissue and 3- the chest wall.
This is made possible by remarkable technical resources, effective multi-professional coordination, and the ongoing commitment of 2 experts and a specialist team within the same centre.
The expertise available includes exclusive minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, hybrid surgery for locally advanced cancer, pulmonary artery grafts and fluoro-guided infra-lobar surgery. As a result, almost 90% of patients benefit from minimally invasive surgery for early-stage tumours, and over 80% from re-implantation techniques for locally advanced tumours.
By 2025, a hybrid room will also be part of the diagnostic and therapeutic armoury, making it possible to offer accelerated patient pathways combining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in less than 24 hours on a multidisciplinary platform.
The diagnosis and/or treatment of benign pathologies will also benefit from the entire technical platform and the team's expertise.
The thoracic surgery department comprises 5 functional units: the conventional hospitalisation sector (14 beds), the outpatient surgery sector (2 beds), the specialised post-surgical intensive care unit (6 beds), the specialised consultation unit (5/7) and the operating theatre.
Secondary and primary prevention of lung cancer is one of the priorities of the IHU RespirERA, which is heavily involved in lung cancer screening, particularly in the most at-risk populations, those who are generally far removed from the healthcare system.
Education and training are a key area of focus at IHU RespirERA, developed by Professors Sylvie LEROY and Marius ILIÉ.
This area is driven by the deployment of innovative training programs designed to address the current challenges of respiratory diseases by combining innovation, clinical expertise, and awareness.
First, IHU offers a prestigious European Master’s in Molecular Pathology (European MSc in Molecular Pathology) aimed at harmonizing molecular analyses across Europe and promoting exchanges between healthcare institutions. This cutting-edge program prepares future specialists to meet the challenges of modern precision medicine.
IHU RespirERA is a reference center for biobanking samples associated with respiratory diseases, both nationally and internationally. As such, it offers an MSc in Biobanks & Complex Data Management (Biobanks & Complex Data Management – Université Côte d’Azur), designed by leading international experts in biobanking. The program covers key areas such as quality management, ethical considerations, bioinformatics, and data visualisation.
In collaboration with the European Society of Pathology (The European Society of Pathology) the institute organises a series of seminars on best practices for integrating new biomarkers of non-small cell lung cancer into routine clinical practice.
IHU RespirERA organises “Masterclass” sessions on liquid biopsy for specialised healthcare professionals, such as oncological pulmonologists, biologists, and pathologists from France and Europe. These sessions are held in collaboration with industry partners and the European Liquid Biopsy Society (UKE – ELBS – European Liquid Biopsy Society).
Additionally, the institute offers advanced training for healthcare professionals focused on diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for respiratory diseases, including robotic endoscopy, pleural ultrasound, video-echo-endoscopy, and minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the pleura and airways.
Furthermore, the institute develops transdisciplinary programs for both healthcare professionals and the general public, addressing the environmental, societal, and ethical challenges related to respiratory diseases. These initiatives, in the form of a "Living Lab", allow for a global approach to prevention and treatment, taking into account environmental challenges.
IHU RespirERA "Living Lab" approach aims to accelerate innovation in digital health and artificial intelligence, while reducing the risks associated with experimentation by considering the concrete needs of users, caregivers, and citizens in solving issues related to respiratory health, the environment, and aging.
Our medical "Living Lab" will be an environment for innovation and co-construction of operational relationships, where stakeholders from the healthcare sector, scientists, users, local communities, and industry partners can collaborate to develop, test, and validate new technologies, products, services, and clinical practices.
