PREMIS: A programme dedicated to immunotherapy toxicity
By stimulating patients' immune systems, immunotherapy drugs can generate autoimmune side effects, especially when used in combination, which can affect several organs, sometimes irreversibly. Yet there are no biomarkers to identify patients at risk of developing severe complications. Their discovery is a major objective in improving the management and safety of treated patients.
A better understanding of autoimmunity phenomena occurring under immunotherapy could also lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms associated with the anti-tumor efficacy of these immunotherapies.
The PREMIS programme aims to identify patient characteristics associated with the occurrence of immunological toxicities, in order to develop prevention and management strategies adapted to patients treated with immunotherapy, and to offer them specific treatment. The PREMIS study is a unique cohort in the world in terms of its design and number of patients (n=1000), making it possible to identify biomarkers associated with the occurrence of rare but severe toxicities.