Hematology And Transplantation Research Institute

What Hematology And Transplantation Research Institute does

The Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT) is a French non-profit research association (loi 1908, recognized of public utility) founded in 1987 by Dr. Philippe Hénon in Mulhouse, France, focused on adult stem cell research and regenerative medicine. The institute operates from a 540m² facility inside Hasenrain Hospital, maintaining roughly 10 permanent researchers and technical assistants alongside a 1,200-volunteer community support network. Its research portfolio covers four principal programs: blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia and blood cancers (a technique that has supplanted classical bone marrow transplantation worldwide), autologous CD34+ stem cell therapy for cardiac regeneration post-myocardial infarction (cardiomyoplasty), the study of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs) for ethical regenerative medicine, and myelodysplastic syndrome research. In March 2025, the institute announced a breakthrough for its DiaBioLiq liquid biopsy diagnostic project for cancer detection including brain cancers. The institute has produced 150+ scientific publications, 200+ invited lectures, 6 organized congresses, 3 international workshops, and 3 English-language books on blood stem cells.

IRHT's primary commercial pathway is its spin-off CellProthera (founded April 2008 by Dr. Hénon), which has registered ProtheraCytes as a cell therapy medication with European Health Authorities and is running Phase I/IIB trials with Phase III planned for Europe and North America. The institute itself does not sell commercial products or services. Its funding model is fully donation- and grant-based, distributed across four streams: individual donations (financing 50% of researcher salaries and 30% of laboratory equipment, with a 66% tax deduction for French donors), the annual "Tulipes à Cœur" tulip bouquet sale (financing 25-30% of annual budget, with €2,645,000 collected cumulatively over 20 years and 45,000-52,000 bouquets sold annually by 1,200 volunteers), corporate partnerships and solidarity products, and public grants from ANR, Conseil Régional/Départemental, and the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, plus legacies and life insurance (entitled to favorable inheritance treatment under loi 1908 status).

The go-to-market is community- and event-driven: a volunteer network distributed across Mulhouse, Colmar, Sundgau, Belfort, and Montbéliard handles all tulip sales with logistics managed by distribution partner Pomona and venue partner Cora Wittenheim. Marketing channels include earned media (RTL2, L'Alsace, Scientific American, Le Monde), patient testimonials (Joël, Marie Eve, Marie-Reine), Instagram/Twitter presence, and direct corporate outreach for R&D partnerships. Recognition includes the 2000 "Excellence Achievements of the Millennium" from Nobel laureate Professor Don Thomas, 2017 Scientific American coverage of the cardiac therapy, and the protected "Tulipes à Cœur" brand label since 2002. The institute is administratively and financially independent of the host Groupe Hospitalier de la Région de Mulhouse (GHRMSA); Dr. Hénon retired at the end of 2017 with Dr. Romain Barbet serving as current Director.

Name

Hematology And Transplantation Research Institute

Legal name

Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation

Website

https://irht.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IRHT is a French non-profit research institute founded in 1987, conducting adult stem cell research on leukemia, cardiac regeneration, and liquid biopsy diagnostics. It is funded through donations and an annual tulip sale in Alsace, France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Stem Cell–Based Regenerative Therapies (HLAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived) (HLAAABAE), Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant (BMT/HSCT) (HLAKAFAI)

Keywords

• Stem cell research
• Regenerative medicine
• Hematology research
• Cardiac regeneration
• Liquid biopsy diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Mulhouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and regular donations from individuals, with 66% tax deduction for French donors. Donations finance 50% of research salaries and 30% of laboratory equipment.
2. Operation Tulipes à Cœur: Annual tulip sale campaign since 1990. 45,000-52,000 bouquets sold by 1,200 volunteers. Collects 2,645,000 € over 20 years. Finances 25-30% of annual budget.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies for donations, R&D collaborations, and event sponsorships. Includes solidarity products, customer surveys, and loyalty point conversions.
4. Legacies and Life Insurance: Association recognized as general interest (loi 1908) entitled to receive legacies, donations, and life insurance without inheritance tax.
5. Public Grants: Funding from Conseil Régional, Conseil Départemental du Haut-Rhin, ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche), and Jérôme Lejeune Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IRHT is a nonprofit research institute that conducts scientific research on adult stem cells, focusing on blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia treatment, cardiac regeneration using autologous CD34+ stem cells, research on Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs), and studies of myelodysplastic syndromes. Operating from a research building inside Mulhouse's Hasenrain Hospital, the institute collaborates with international teams and operates the annual 'Tulipes à Cœur' tulip sale operation to fund its research activities.

Product overview

The Institut de Recherche en Hématologie et Transplantation (IRHT) is a non-profit medical research institute (association loi 1908 recognized as being of public utility) focused on stem cell research. The institute conducts research across several complementary areas: blood stem cell transplantation (a routine treatment for leukemia), cardiac regeneration using stem cells (cardiomyoplasty), VSELs research for regenerative medicine, and myelodysplastic syndrome study. The institute is not a traditional product company but rather conducts scientific research with therapeutic applications. Notable research outputs include the DiaBioLiq liquid biopsy diagnostic project and over 150 scientific publications. In 2008, the spin-off company CellProthera was created to develop and industrialize the stem cell therapy approach for myocardial infarction treatment (ProtheraCytes cell therapy medication).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cardiomyoplasty Research Program Research program on using autologous CD34+ blood stem cells collected from the patient's own blood, purified, and reinjected directly into cardiac lesions to regenerate and revascularize cardiac muscle tissue damaged by severe myocardial infarction, demonstrated through Phase I clinical trials.
• VSELs Research Program Research program on Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells, adult pluripotent stem cells with embryonic stem cell characteristics that persist throughout life and can be used ethically for regenerative medicine applications.
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome Research Research on bone marrow abnormalities and mechanisms leading to leukemia, developing diagnostic tools and treatments for myelodysplastic syndromes that can evolve into acute myeloid leukemia.
• DiaBioLiq Liquid Biopsy Diagnostic Diagnostic project utilizing liquid biopsy technology for cancer detection, including brain cancers, providing non-invasive diagnostic tools for oncology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blood stem cell transplantation technique developed has totally supplanted classical bone marrow transplantation worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and important.

• FIRALIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Partnership convention signed in September 2025 for collaborative research and development activities.
• CellProtheracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2008French biotech company founded in April 2008 in Mulhouse, focused on developing innovative therapy for tissue repair after severe myocardial infarction. Professor Philippe Hénon is Chairman and Scientific Director. Developed ProtheraCytes® cell therapy medication registered with European Health Authorities. Phase I/IIB clinical trial ongoing, Phase III planned for Europe and North America.
• BIOVALLEY FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with BIOVALLEY France for networking and scientific collaboration in the Alsace region biotechnology ecosystem.
• UHA (Université de Haute Alsace)importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvention of partnership with Université de Haute Alsace for collaborative research and publication activities. Publication partnership noted.
• PomonacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution company controlling supply and distribution of tulip bouquets for Operation Tulipes à Cœur. Handles 45,000-52,000 bouquets annually.
• Cora WittenheimcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHypermarket partner hosting annual tulip sales since first operation in 1990. Provided venue for 15,200 bouquets sold in first year and continues supporting operations.
• Rotary District 1680 MulhouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerService organization organizing fundraising events at the benefit of IRHT, including Brazilian evening at Zoo de Mulhouse.
• GHRMSA (Groupe Hospitalier de la Région de Mulhouse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital center providing cardiac surgery and hematology departments for clinical trials. IRHT is administratively and financially independent but collaborates on research. Ground made available for 1 symbolic franc.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: Large French non-profit biomedical research foundation. Comparable as a France-based public-utility research association operating across multiple disease areas, but with vastly greater scale and a broader infectious-disease focus.
• INSERM: French national institute for health and medical research. Comparable as a publicly funded life-sciences research body in France that performs stem cell, hematology, and regenerative medicine research at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Celyad Oncology: Belgian cell-therapy company developing CAR-T and other engineered cell therapies, historically including cardiac programs. Comparable as a European clinical-stage cell-therapy developer with adjacent cardiac regeneration and immuno-oncology programs.
• Anthony Nolan: UK non-profit operating one of the world's first stem cell donor registries and supporting hematopoietic stem cell transplantation research. Comparable as a mission-driven organization advancing blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia and related diseases.
• TiGenix (Takeda): Belgian/Spanish cell-therapy company (acquired by Takeda) that developed allogeneic stem cell therapies. Comparable as a European cell-therapy company translating academic stem cell science into approved products.
• CellProthera: French biotech spin-off of IRHT (founded 2008 by Dr. Hénon) developing ProtheraCytes, an autologous CD34+ cell therapy for cardiac regeneration after severe MI. The most direct peer, sharing IRHT's core cardiac stem cell platform.
• Mesoblast: Listed cell-therapy company developing mesenchymal lineage cell therapies for inflammatory and cardiovascular indications, including heart failure. Directly comparable in cardiac cell-therapy development and competes in the same CD34+/progenitor-cell space.
• Pluristem Therapeutics: Cell-therapy company developing placenta-derived stromal cell therapies for hematopoietic, vascular, and inflammatory indications. Comparable as a clinical-stage stem cell therapeutics developer targeting hematology and cardiac indications.

Others

• EuroStemCell: European stem cell research and outreach network hosted by the University of Edinburgh. Comparable as an enabler/ecosystem organization in European stem cell science that intersects with IRHT's VSEL and regenerative medicine research themes.
• Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW): Global hub of hematopoietic stem cell donor registries. Comparable as a sector participant in the blood stem cell transplantation ecosystem that IRHT's foundational research underpins, though operating as a coordination body rather than research lab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/irht.mulhouse
• Xx.com/IRHT_CNRS
• Facebookfacebook.com/IRHT.CNRS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irht-cnrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hematology And Transplantation Research Institute