Open ReMIE: A national platform for therapeutic research on emerging infectious diseases
Launched in 2025, Open-ReMIE is a national platform dedicated to therapeutic clinical research on emerging infectious diseases in France led by ANRS MIE and co-led by Hospices Civils de Lyon.
Last updated on 17 June 2025
What is Open ReMIE?
The National Operational Research Network for Emerging Infectious Diseases (Open ReMIE) is a national platform dedicated to therapeutic clinical research on emerging infectious diseases (EID) in France. Structured around a network of healthcare institutions, research laboratories and institutional partners, Open ReMIE aims to accelerate the implementation of clinical trials in response to epidemics and pandemics.
Open-ReMIE: A rapid and effective response to health crises
Inspired by the concept of the “Plan Blanc” crisis mechanism for deployment by French hospitals, Open ReMIE acts as a “Plan Blanc for clinical therapeutic research”, enabling the rapid mobilisation of resources and infrastructures in the event of a health crisis. OPEN-ReMIE is one of the measures of the Emerging Infectious Diseases and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Threats acceleration strategy aimed at strengthening our preparedness in the face of the risks of a new major health crisis (in the coming years and our response capacity at national level, in conjunction with the European level).
Open-ReMIE missions:
- Structure a national clinical research network for an effective response to epidemics.
- Accelerate clinical trial implementation through innovative methodologies and optimised processes.
- Promote collaboration between academic and industrial players, as well as with international research networks.
- Develop training and communication tools to strengthen capacity to respond to health crises.
A network of committed players
Open-ReMIE is coordinated by Inserm/ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases and co-coordinated by the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL). Its scientific leaders are Prof. Florence Ader (HCL) and Prof. Karine Lacombe (APHP). It brings together a group of hospital institutions, research laboratories and experts in methodology, epidemiology and biostatistics.
Open-ReMIE: An integrated system in Europe and beyond
The platform is part of a dynamic of international collaboration, thereby contributing to better coordination of clinical trials and clinical research players in infectious diseases.
It is closely linked to other structuring initiatives for the evaluation of therapeutic candidates in patients hospitalised for respiratory infections, including PROACT EU-RESPONSE, REMAP-CAP (ECRAID), and PIPELINE (PENTA) at the European level, and STRIVE (INSIGHT) and RECOVERY at the international level.
It actively participates in the work aimed at coordinating and facilitating the implementation of clinical research in times of crisis, particularly in Europe through the Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (BE READY)
Operation and governance
The main objective of the platform is to adopt a flexible and scalable mode of operation, capable of adapting to the specific needs of health crises. Over time, OPEN-ReMIE will develop processes and infrastructures to enable rapid and coordinated resource mobilisation in the event of an epidemic or pandemic to evaluate different treatments.
An organisation into six working groups
To ensure its effectiveness, OPEN-ReMIE relies on six operational Work Packages (WP) which will cover all clinical research needs and activities necessary to set up hospital clinical trials, particularly in the context of health crises:
- WP1: Regulatory procedures and sponsorship
Optimisation of the management of regulatory aspects and sponsorship in order to speed up the implementation of clinical trials and ensure their compliance.
- WP2: Network of clinical sites
Coordination of a national network of hospital clinical sites ready to mobilise in the event of a health crisis, with pairs of clinical departments for infectious diseases and intensive care medicine. A first circle of reference institutions will be activated on a continuous basis and a second circle can be mobilised in the event of a major crisis.
- WP3: Methodology and Management Centres
Development of innovative and optimised methods for conducting and analysing clinical trials in the context of emerging infectious diseases.
- WP4: Laboratory and biobank network
Establishment of a network of laboratories specialising in microbiology, immunology and pharmacology in connection with the centralised ANRS MIE biobank to guarantee the quality and accessibility of the biological samples required for research.
- WP5: Supply and use of investigational medicinal products, pharmacovigilance and safety
Management of investigational medicinal product supply circuits and monitoring of adverse reactions to ensure the safety of clinical trial participants.
- WP6: Training, communication, value-creation and dissemination of results
Development of training for researchers and healthcare professionals, organisation of scientific events and dissemination of advances to the scientific community and general public, and the fight against misinformation via social media in times of crisis.
Collaboration integrated into the national strategy for preparedness and response to health crises
OPEN-ReMIE will work closely with the Acceleration Strategy for Emerging Infectious Diseases – France 2030, which aims to prepare France to face the risks likely to cause another major health crisis and limit its impacts or even prevent it. More specifically, the platform will be linked to the actions supported as part of the innovation component dedicated to the development of innovative countermeasures, through monitoring of maturation projects that may benefit from clinical infrastructure to advance along the research continuum, and through close coordination with the other funded national platforms:
An inter-platform committee will be set up to bring together these different national initiatives and ensure their coordination in the event of a crisis.
Project schedule
The project began on 1 March 2025 and will last for 5 years, with funding provided by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (the French National Research Agency; ANR-24-MIEM-0003) as part of the plan France 2030 (the France 2030 investment plan) emerging infectious diseases acceleration strategy.
The kick-off meeting took place on 21 March 2025 to formalise the activities to be implemented and align all partners with the objectives and next steps. Read the press release.