Fondation Saint-Luc
Linked to the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc and UCLouvain in Belgium, Fondation Saint-Luc supports medical research, technological innovation, healthcare professional training, and the humanization of care. In the fight against cancer, it funds research projects, develops wellness spaces to support patients beyond medical treatment, and invests in cutting-edge technologies to improve the precision of care. Its initiatives are made possible thanks to the generosity of donors, who help bring these projects to life for the benefit of patients.
Theory of Change
🔍 Problem Statement
Even with medical advances, healthcare faces persistent challenges:
- Slow innovation: breakthroughs often take years to reach patients.
- Treatment gaps: many diseases, including cancers, still lack curative therapies; existing treatments can be harsh.
- Technology lag: hospitals require constant investment to keep pace with cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments.
- Human impact: hospital care can feel dehumanizing, highlighting the need for compassionate support alongside medical treatment.
🧩 Inputs
Fondation Saint-Luc addresses these challenges by mobilizing:
- Philanthropy: donations from individuals, corporate partners, and legacies.
- Partnerships: close collaboration with the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc and world-class researchers.
- Expertise: trusted committees, dedicated staff, and engaged donors ensuring high-impact decisions.
⚙️ Activities
To drive impact, the foundation:
- Raises funds: campaigns and patronage programs secure essential resources.
- Allocates grants: rigorous selection supports four priority areas:
- Clinical Research: innovative studies and trials.
- Advanced Training: specialized education for healthcare teams.
- Medical Equipment: investment in cutting-edge technologies.
- Patient-Centered Care: projects that enhance comfort and well-being.
- Ensures stewardship: transparent reporting and diligent monitoring of all funded projects.
📈 Outputs
These activities deliver tangible results:
- Research: a growing portfolio of promising clinical projects.
- Technology: state-of-the-art medical tools in patient care.
- Training: doctors, nurses, and researchers equipped with advanced skills.
- Environment: improved patient comfort and hospital experience.
- Fundraising: successful campaigns fueling sustainable progress.
🌟 Outcomes
- Short-Term: Researchers test new therapies; patients access better equipment and facilities; medical teams gain new expertise.
- Medium-Term: More effective, less invasive, and personalized treatments improve outcomes and quality of life.
- Long-Term: Reduced mortality and morbidity, with the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc recognized as a global leader in medical innovation and compassionate care.
Project Ciclibiome
The current standard treatment for hormone-dependent metastatic breast cancer combines CDK4/6 inhibitors with hormone therapy. While effective for many patients, doctors still have no way to predict who will benefit the most, or why the treatment eventually stops working.
The Ciclibiome study is a prospective, multicenter project that follows women starting CDK4/6 inhibitors. By repeatedly collecting stool and blood samples, we aim to:
- Predict resistance – identify patients unlikely to respond well.
- Understand mechanisms – learn how and why the treatment loses effectiveness.
- Guide future therapies – explore whether combining CDK4/6 inhibitors with immunotherapy or metabolism-modulating drugs could improve outcomes.
This project is a collaboration between Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc and experts in microbiome research, metabolism, genetics, immunology, and bioinformatics at UCLouvain. Patient recruitment at Saint-Luc, Institut Jules Bordet, and CHU UCL Namur will continue until 2025.
Early funding from the Clinical Research Fund, Fondation Saint-Luc, and Gilead has already supported a full-time PhD researcher and the first analyses. These results confirm our hypothesis: CDK4/6 inhibitors trigger early immune responses, altering cytokines (key messengers of inflammation) and carnitines (molecules linked to tumor cell energy metabolism).
The foundation's goal: to turn these insights into more personalized, effective treatments for women facing metastatic breast cancer.
Why It Matters
This cause is profoundly personal for the three friends undertaking this journey, as each has been deeply and repeatedly touched by cancer. They have lost wives, family members, and friends, but they have also witnessed the extraordinary power of medical research firsthand. For Marc and René, clinical trials and advanced treatments gifted their families with years of unexpected time; precious years filled with laughter, memories, and the simple joy of being together that a grim prognosis once threatened to erase. Their ride is fueled by this direct experience, a tribute to the loved ones they've lost and a testament to the life that science made possible.
This personal mission resonates universally because nearly everyone has their own story with this relentless disease. Their journey transforms personal grief into a powerful act of hope by raising funds for the Fondation Saint Luc, the very institution whose groundbreaking clinical trials gifted one of their own families with four additional years of life. Supporting their ride means directly empowering the researchers and medical teams who develop these life-extending treatments. It is a tangible investment in the science that gives other families the priceless gift of more good days together, ensuring that life and laughter can continue in the face of a devastating diagnosis.
