On June 12, 2025, during the FORCE Foundation Awards Ceremony for Innovation and Research in Health, seven projects were recognized for their potential to transform the healthcare system. Among them, the FAST-Tx project, led by the Strasbourg University Hospital Institute, was hailed as a potential major breakthrough in the field of thoracic oncology.
An innovative patient pathway for personalized lung cancer treatment
FAST-Tx offers a paradigm shift in the care pathway for patients with suspicious lung nodules: diagnosis and intervention in less than 24 hours.
This integrated approach is based on a completely original technological and organizational ecosystem that will leverage synergies between world-class medical and surgical expertise, unparalleled clinical infrastructure, and innovations from companies.
The project illustrates the IHU Strasbourg’s strong commitment to developing image-guided, minimally invasive surgical pathways enhanced by robotics and artificial intelligence. The objective of FAST-Tx is clear: to accelerate patient care in order to increase the chances of recovery, improve the rates of complete resection of cancerous nodules, and offer a new standard of care that can be exported to other hospital facilities.
An exemplary collaborative dynamic
The project led by the IHU Strasbourg brings together key partners:
- The thoracic surgery center and the diagnostic and therapeutic interventional bronchial endoscopy department of the Strasbourg University Hospitals,
- Visible Patient Lab, the leading online laboratory for 3D modeling of medical images for the creation of digital twins,
- ASARIA – Assisted Surgery by Augmented Reality & AI, which has developed an augmented reality device for pre- and intraoperative assistance in interventional procedures.
Led by Prof. Christian Debry (Director General of the IHU Strasbourg), with Prof. Pierre-Emmanuel Falcoz (thoracic surgery), Dr. Cezar Matau (bronchial endoscopy), Luc Soler (Visible Patient Lab), and Bernard Dubois (Asaria), the FAST-Tx team shares the same vision of a new generation of precise and personalized minimally invasive procedures. This synergy between clinical excellence, cutting-edge technologies, and hospital engineering demonstrates the ability of local stakeholders to innovate together for the benefit of patients.
A trophy that symbolizes a vision for the future
Awarded by the FORCE Foundation, which supports the emergence of innovative solutions to improve healthcare in the future, this trophy rewards boldness, scientific rigor, and collective commitment. The FAST-Tx project embodies a concrete response to the challenges of oncology, placing medical time, precision, and patient well-being at the heart of the system.
More info:
Article from Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace (DNA), published on June 16, 2025:
The Force Foundation supports seven new research projects in Alsace
The IHU Strasbourg is delighted with this recognition and will continue to work alongside its partners to advance medicine that is increasingly rapid, personalized, and efficient.
