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.
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Their Mission
Since 1986, the Saint-Luc Foundation has been supporting medical excellence and humanism at the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain), by developing and coordinating philanthropy and fundraising activities. Its mission is to promote essential projects across four priority areas:
- Medical research
- Training of healthcare professionals
- Technological innovation
- Humanization of care
In practical terms, the Foundation funds high-level clinical research and the training of medical and paramedical teams in renowned centers in Belgium and abroad. It also invests in the acquisition of cutting-edge equipment and technologies. As the philanthropic reference point for the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, its actions actively contribute to the continuous improvement of patient care and to giving hospitalization a more human face.
The Saint-Luc Foundation ensures that every donation entrusted to it is used responsibly to support innovative projects that directly benefit patients.
Supporting a leading hospital
The Saint-Luc Foundation exclusively supports the projects of the teams at the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels, a Belgian and international reference center for several complex pathologies. At the same time, the hospital pursues excellence in its academic missions of research, innovation, and teaching, in close collaboration with UCLouvain. Saint-Luc is one of the seven academic hospitals in Belgium.
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.
