PATIENTS CAN’T AFFORD TO BE PATIENT
2014 — 2018
CLINATEC INVENTING THE MEDICINE OF TOMORROW, NOW.
IMAGINE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO: NEED SOMEONE’S HELP 24/7—EVEN JUST TO FEED YOURSELF— BECAUSE YOU’RE PARALYZED FROM THE NECK DOWN. NOT BE ABLE TO BUTTON UP YOUR OWN SHIRT BECAUSE YOU HAVE PARKINSON’S. LOSE ALL HOPE THAT YOUR CANCER WILL BE CURED BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE, BECAUSE SCIENTISTS HAVEN’T YET FIGURED OUT A WAY TO ADMINISTER THE TREATMENT YOU NEED.
THE EDMOND J.SAFRA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER WWW.CLINATEC.FR/EN
4-5 | VISION
HELP PUT TIME BACK ON PATIENTS’ SIDE GIVE TO CLINATEC
BREAKING NEW GROUND, TOGETHER
€30 million is needed for our planned R&D projects
A MEETING OF THE MINDS BETWEEN A RENOWNED NEUROSURGEON AND AN ESTEEMED ENGINEER Neurosurgeon Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid is known around the world as the coinventor of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat Parkinson’s disease. He has been awarded the prestigious Lasker Award along with Dr. Mahlon Delong for developing a surgical treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Engineer Jean Therme heads the Technological Research Division at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), where he spearheaded Grenoble’s efforts to build a world-caliber microand nanotechnology and electronics cluster driven by exemplary cooperation between scientific research and industrial R&D. The two men met in 2006.
TWO MEN, ONE SHARED PASSION Both men are driven by a desire to find real-world applications for the research they do. And both have a reputation for crossing disciplines and breaking down silos. Dr. Benabid is on staff at the Grenoble University Medical Center, is a faculty member of Grenoble University’s Joseph Fourier School, and conducts research at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm), where he recruits scientists from a wide range of fields. Therme is a founder of MINATEC, Europe’s largest micro- and nanotechnology cluster, and has made building bridges between basic and applied research his hallmark.
CLINATEC HAS DEVELOPED A GROUNDBREAKING APPROACH TO MEDICAL RESEARCH THAT GETS INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS TO PATIENTS FASTER.
A COMMON VISION FOR TOMORROW’S MEDICINE Fuelled by their shared passion, the two men decided to bring medicine and engineering together in a totally new way to overcome the most challenging technological hurdles to effective, commercially-viable therapies. “Research at the crossroads of medicine and technology is something I’ve always wanted to see happen. In Grenoble we have clinical practitioners specialized in neurological diseases, as well as industry-leading experts in micro- and nanotechnology. That alone is a fantastic opportunity. I spoke with Jean about it, and he was just as excited as I was. We combined our two research teams, and their shared enthusiasm quickly swept away any doubts. Today our medical and engineering staffers are totally at ease working together. They can discuss even the most far-fetched ideas in a supportive environment. Call it naïve, but I believe it is this positive attitude that drives us to get projects done in record time,” said Dr. Benabid. “Dr. Benabid and I set a very ambitious— no, revolutionary—goal: bring clinical practitioners and high-tech engineers
together to develop groundbreaking treatments for diseases that for now have no real cure. We believe that bringing together medicine and technology under the same roof will spur creativity and innovation, and, ultimately, get new treatments to the patients who so urgently need them even faster,” said Therme. CLINATEC: THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE STARTS HERE According to Dr. Benabid, “Clinatec was never intended to be just another neuroscience research center. Jean and I want to develop breakthrough biomedical systems, taking novel ideas all the way from the concept stage through to testing and approval. There is no other center in the world that houses so many scientists and engineers from so many different backgrounds: medicine, mathematics, robotics, and more. In addition to research labs, our center boasts a pilot hospital for testing our concepts—and we built it all from the ground up.”
KEY DATES 2006: The Clinatec concept is developed 2008–2012: The initial four-person team convinces 60 scientists and engineers to join their efforts 2012: Construction of the Clinatec building is completed - the Edmond J.Safra biomedical research center September 2013: Clinatec admits its first patient
FIVE CONCRETE GOALS 1. Develop innovative methods for preventing and treating serious diseases 2. Speed technology transfer “from lab to bedside” 3. Establish a new model for biomedical R&D combining several disciplines on a single site 4. Attract the best scientists and engineers from around the world 5. Carry out outreach programs for patients, their families, and the community
BUT WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP
“CLINATEC—THE ONLY RESEARCH CENTER OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD—IS NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL AND READY TO TRANSFER TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS FROM THE LAB TO WHERE THEY CAN MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE: PATIENTS. THE FUNDS RAISED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL HELP US MAKE THIS HAPPEN EVEN FASTER.” DR. FRANÇOIS BERGER, DIRECTOR OF CLINATEC - THE EDMOND J.SAFRA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
6-7 | CHALLENGES
STOPPING PARKINSON’S IN ITS TRACKS
6,5
million people around the world suffer from Parkinson’s*
Parkinson’s is an insidious disease that causes a patient’s motor and cognitive functions to gradually deteriorate—ultimately resulting in severe disability. But thanks to the deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy developed by Clinatec founder Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid and his colleague Dr. Pierre Pollack, some 100,000 people afflicted with Parkinson’s have seen their quality of life transformed. The procedure, designed and tested in Grenoble, can drastically reduce patients’ symptoms—even enabling some to forego complicated drug regimens and resume their pre-Parkinson’s activities. In other words, to lead almost-normal lives.
NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) THERAPY PROJECT PROTECTING BRAIN CELLS With near-infrared laser therapy, doctors can go beyond just treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s to prevent any further damage to brain cells. Parkinson’s disease is caused by the death of neurons in the substantia nigra—and near-infrared light is proven to protect those very same neurons. R&D STATUS We are in the process of developing an intracranial NIR system, but need an additional €1.7 million to conduct clinical trials.
EXPLORER PROJECT COLLECTING VITAL INFORMATION A c c e s s i n g t h e b ra i n w i t h o u t causing damage is the key to better understanding the mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative diseases and developing effective treatments.
At Clinatec, we plan to take this discovery even further. Our scientists will draw on 25 years’ experience with deep brain stimulation to develop even more effective treatments for Parkinson’s. Specifically, we will look at ways of using near-infrared light to address the root causes of the disease. By exposing affected areas of the brain to near-infrared light, doctors hope to protect them from any further deterioration. Our goal: Develop a method for protecting the brain cells of people with neurodegenerative diseases with no etiological cure.
“YOU CAN STILL LEAD AN ACTIVE LIFE, EVEN WITH EARLY-ONSET PARKINSON’S.” “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eighteen years ago, when I was just 42. Without DBS I probably would have become completely dependent—tough to accept for someone who routinely cycled distances up to 150 kilometers. And early-onset Parkinson’s is not as rare as you think. With the standard treatment at the time, I would have had to take my pills every couple of hours, making it difficult to hold down a job. So DBS seemed like a good option. I had the procedure in April 2001 and returned to work full-time that September. Clinatec’s research on NIR therapy could be very promising if proven effective in humans. That would be a major advancement over DBS, which is only palliative. I would gladly go back to Grenoble tomorrow for NIR if I could.” Guy Janet-Maître, 60 years old, underwent DBS in 2001
The risk of developing one of the two most common neurodegenerative diseases— Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s—increases significantly after the age of 65. But these diseases can afflict younger adults, too. 10% of people with Parkinson’s were diagnosed before the age of 50.*
*Source: World Health Organization, 2013
OUR RESEARCH HELPS SPEED THE DISCOVERY OF TREATMENTS FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES.
WE’VE ALREADY MADE ONE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN THE TREATMENT OF PARKINSON’S. HELP US MAKE THE NEXT.
8-9 | CHALLENGES
THE CLINICAL TRIAL PHASE IS THE HARDEST. NOW IS WHEN WE NEED YOUR HELP THE MOST.
GET QUADRIPLEGICS WALKING,TOMORROW
3 million
people are living with spinal-cord injuries, wolrdwide.*
A car accident, fall down the stairs, or misjudged dive can change a life completely in just a fraction of a second. Just ask Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, who lost the use of all his limbs after a paragliding accident—and whose tragic story inspired the Golden Globe-nominated film The Intouchables.There are currently more than 3 million patients living with the consequences of spinal-cord injuries worldwide. Most depend entirely on family or caregivers to perform even the most mundane—and personal—tasks. All because, after a spinal cord injury, the motor commands given by the brain are no longer properly relayed to the muscles. Our goal: Create a robotic exoskeleton that quadriplegics can control with brain signals, enabling them to walk, pick up objects, and lead more independent lives.
BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE (BCI) PROJECT 1. DECIPHER We are developing a BCI that can record the brain signals produced when a patient wants to move a particular muscle, and translate those signals into a machine-readable format. 2. EXECUTE The BCI will then send the data to Emy, our robotic exoskeleton with two arms and two legs, which will perform the desired movement. 3. IMPROVE Once developed, we will work to continuously improve the BCI to make it faster, easier to use, and ready for distribution to patients.
“WHAT I MISS MOST IS GIVING MY WIFE AND CHILDREN A HUG.” “Dr. Benabid asked me a strange question the first time I met him: ‘If you could, would you rather regain use of a single arm or of everything?’ I had never even thought about it. Since what I miss most is giving my wife and children a hug, I said even just an arm would be great. But I couldn’t get his question out of my mind. So I called him the next day and told him I had answered too quickly; I had spoken like a man who had finally found acceptance after getting over the initial anger about my injury. But if I were 20 years old and had to speak for all those who are just starting their lives as quadriplegics, I would say ‘everything’ without batting an eye. Operating an exoskeleton must make you feel pretty smart—but probably not very sexy. Thanks to the latest advancements in miniaturization technology, just about anything is possible! I don’t think today’s young quadriplegics believe they will spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair. Most of them probably hope that science will come up with a way for them to walk again.” Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, quadriplegic since 1993, inspired the movie The Intouchables
R&D STATUS We have validated the concept, method, and procedures, and are now ready to begin clinical trials. But we need an additional €12.2 million to bring the brain-computer interface concept to maturity.
* Source: Wings for Life, a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation
OUR RESEARCH BRINGS US ONE STEP CLOSER TO LETTING THE VICTIMS OF SPINAL CORD INJURIES LEAD NORMAL LIVES.
10-11 | CHALLENGES
FINDING A CURE FOR CANCER
14
million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer in 2013.*
Worldwide, an estimated 14 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2013. This already-unacceptable statistic is expected to rise to 24 million by 2035. Part of the problem is that it is extremely difficult to transfer biotechnology breakthroughs from the lab to the patient; many drugs that work effectively against tumors in a laboratory setting have too many side effects or show too little efficacy when tested in humans. Which means that scientists have to go back to square one—while lives continue to be lost. Today biologists are better able to select the most appropriate drug for a given tumor when they have a sample of the tumor to analyze. But when the tumor is located in a weakened organ or hard-to-reach location—like deep inside the brain—there isn’t much their advanced drugs can do.
EXPLORER PROJECT PROVIDING A MORE PRECISE DIAGNOSIS We are working to develop tiny devices that surgeons can use to gather information about a tumor by simply taking a “fingerprint” of the tumor and surrounding tissue—where the origin of the oncological processes at work is expressed.That will let oncologists make more precise diagnoses and eventually develop new cancer treatments.
CIBLE PROJECT DELIVERING MORE TARGETED THERAPIES We will create a miniaturized drug delivery system that can inject a cancer drug directly into a tumor. Such a device would also drastically reduce drug side effects. R&D STATUS We have brought together leading experts and invested in state-of-the-art imaging equipment. Our first trials will investigate a treatment for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer; we will then turn our efforts to prostate, pituitary gland, and breast cancer, among others. We still need €6.3 million in funding for the Cible project and €9.8 million for Explorer.
Our goal: Give doctors the technology they need to better understand cancer mechanisms and develop better-targeted treatments—bringing us ever closer to a cure.
“I KNOW MY DAUGHTER WOULD WANT TO TRY CLINATEC’S NEW TREATMENTS IF SHE WERE STILL ALIVE.” “My daughter was a 21-year-old college student when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite her grim prognosis, she kept going strong for seven years—even finishing her degree and getting a job. When I think of everything she had to go through, I sincerely hope that doctors will soon come up with less aggressive and more effective therapies. One winter she couldn’t even put on her shoes because chemotherapy had left the soles of her feet so painful. And she had trouble breathing, not because of the cancer but, again, because of the chemotherapy. I hope the new treatments Clinatec is developing will be better targeted so they can save more lives. Of course it is sad for me to think back on all this, but if my daughter were still alive, I know she would want to try Clinatec’s new treatments. She never lost hope.” Jocelyne, who lost her daughter to cancer
Having access to the latest cancer treatments is a question of life or death for millions of people. But what if patients can’t get treatment because scientists haven’t yet figured out a way to safely administer a promising new drug? Or because doctors aren’t yet able to leverage the therapeutic effects of a more precise diagnosis?
* Source:World Health Organization, 2013
AT CLINATEC, WE ARE HELPING TO SPEED PROGRESS TOWARDS THE HOLY GRAIL OF MEDICINE: A CURE FOR CANCER.
THE NEXT STEP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER IS ENABLING ONCOLOGISTS TO MAKE MORE PRECISE DIAGNOSES AND DELIVER PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS. HELP US TAKE THAT STEP.
12-13 | OUR STRENGTHS
“OUR GOAL IS TO GET INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS TO THE PATIENTS WHO NEED THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.” DR. FRANÇOIS BERGER, DIRECTOR OF CLINATEC - THE EDMOND J.SAFRA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
PUTTING PATIENTS FIRST Our R&D is designed to give hope to people with incurable diseases. We focus exclusively on what doctors call “medical impasses” —those debilitating conditions that we don’t yet know how to treat, and which cause immense suffering for patients and their loved ones. Our work will be judged on how rapidly our innovations get into hospitals and start helping the millions of people afflicted by neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and spinal cord injuries. Putting patients first sets the bar high in terms of both medical ethics and efficiency. And our on-site pilot hospital will save us precious time in developing and testing novel treatment systems.
“HAVING PATIENTS ON-SITE IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES CLINATEC TRULY DIFFERENT.”
360
clinical trials planned under our four flagship projects.
A PILOT HOSPITAL FOR TESTING INNOVATIONS “I always found that working in a silo arrangement wastes a lot of time. That’s why Clinatec is my dream come true. Here we have brought patients and researchers together in a pilot hospital, complete with diagnostic and treatment facilities.” Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid, neurosurgeon and Clinatec founder
DR. NAOPLÉON TORRES-MARTINEZ, CLINATEC NEUROSURGEON
A UNIQUE INNOVATION INCUBATOR Getting published in the most prestigious medical journal or putting their stamp on an impressive new prototype is not what motivates our researchers. What keeps them going is the almost-daily interaction with the people who benefit the most from their work: patients. At Clinatec, doctors, scientists, engineers, and patients all work handin-hand to speed the development of innovative therapies.. It currently takes seven years between the time doctors identify a need for a new treatment and the time they start clinical trials. How many patients die waiting in seven years? Help us get treatments to patients faster.
TEACHING HOSPITAL ALLIANCE Grenoble University Medical Center is one of our founding partners.This alliance marks a new approach to medical research: patients are diagnosed, treated, and monitored in the same place where new therapies are being developed. We treated our first patient under this alliance in September 2013 as part of a research protocol.
“We encountered a lot of obstacles when we tried to bring R&D into a hospital setting. But thanks to our partnership with Grenoble University Medical Center, we overcame every one of them.” Corinne Mestais, head of R&D at Clinatec
STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT “As soon as I saw Clinatec, I realized that it was the ideal hospital with the most advanced equipment on the planet.” Philippe Streiff, former F1 driver, quadriplegic since 1989
DEVELOPING TREATMENTS HAND-IN-HAND WITH PATIENTS MEANS WE GET INNOVATIONS OUT OF THE LAB AND INTO HOSPITALS FASTER.
14-15 | OUR STRENGTHS
197,000 people die each year in Europe from drug side effects.*
FEWER SIDE EFFECTS “With our technology, a team of specialists including oncologists, pathologists, and biologists will be able to carefully examine a tumor and together outline a targeted treatment protocol that stops the reproduction of cancerous cells— without affecting neighboring healthy cells. Another advantage will be fewer side effects like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and hair loss.That will make it easier for patients to stick to their protocols and for doctors to monitor progress.” Dr. Gabriel-Claude Girona, vice President and Secretary of the Isère Regional Cancer Association (Ligue contre le cancer en Isère)
LESS IS MORE “With less invasive treatments you get greater efficacy and lower risk.” Dr. Alim-Louis Benabid, neurosurgeon and Clinatec founder
TOWARDS MORE TARGETED TREATMENTS
First, do no harm. People with serious illnesses want to be healed, of course, but they also want to be treated with respect as individuals, with concern for their overall safety and well-being. One way doctors can address all these needs is by using miniaturized biomedical devices. Such devices open the door to major revolutions in healthcare: Testing instruments now exist that are no bigger than a cell cluster, letting doctors apply treatments specifically and exclusively to diseased areas without disturbing the body’s other systems. Thanks to miniaturization technology, things inconceivable just a decade ago are now possible, like analyzing pathological processes without damaging the afflicted organ or treating hard-to-reach areas without causing lesions along the way. A whole world of therapies is opening up, with better-targeted treatments that are less harmful to surrounding tissue. But further development work is urgently needed. Miniaturized biomedical devices let doctors treat specific areas without affecting the rest of a patient’s body. Help us move even faster towards advanced treatment options that leave healthy tissue healthy.
ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR BIOPSIES “If a brain tumor is located in a highly functional part of the brain, taking tissue samples can be extremely dangerous. That’s why we have developed what we call the ‘tissue fingerprint’ method; it lets us analyze a specific surface simply by touching it—without taking a sample. We get the information we need to make a diagnosis, and the brain tissue remains intact,” said Clinatec biologist and engineer Ali Bouamrani.
* Source:“Strengthening pharmacovigilance to reduce adverse effects of medicines,” European Commission, 2008
THE TECHNOLOGY WE ARE DEVELOPING IS MOVING DOCTORS TOWARDS BETTER-TARGETED TREATMENTS THAT CAUSE LESS HARM TO SURROUNDING TISSUE.
“OUR ‘FINGERPRINT’ TECHNIQUE PROVIDES ALL THE INFORMATION DOCTORS NEED TO DIAGNOSE A TUMOR— WITHOUT REMOVING ANY TISSUE.” ALI BOUAMRANI, CLINATEC BIOLOGIST AND ENGINEER
16-17 | OUR STRENGTHS
“ONLY BY WORKING TOGETHER ON A DAILY BASIS ARE WE ABLE TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO EFFECTIVELY MEET SURGEONS’ NEEDS.” DR. FRANÇOIS BERGER, DIRECTOR OF CLINATEC - THE EDMOND J.SAFRA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
DRIVING MEDICAL INNOVATION INTERVIEW WITH DR. FRANÇOIS BERGER, DIRECTOR OF CLINATEC
Healthcare research by its very nature involves several disciplines—what does Clinatec do that’s different? We bring everyone together under a single roof where they can interact daily and take a holistic view to patient treatment. Our team includes surgeons, robotics engineers, mathematicians, veterinarians, electrical engineers, computer scientists, biologists, neurologists, and physicists. At Clinatec, our multidisciplinary team works together dayin, day-out to tackle shared problems—much more effective than meeting up once a year at a conference. Each field must learn and adapt to the others’ vocabulary; it’s a very intense, yet fruitful mental exercise. We place a great deal of importance on communication and collaboration, with special time set aside for joint brainstorming. This maximizes our chances of coming up with off-the-wall ideas that could turn out to be the next revolution in medicine.
How effective has this approach turned out to be? We aim to speed technology transfer from the lab to patients. Which takes a specific mindset, the right location, and appropriate facilities. We built Clinatec on the MINATEC innovation campus—the very place where the technology we use is being developed. This gives us access to a powerful technological research platform and lets us quickly evaluate how effectively and efficiently our new systems work. With our pilot hospital we can also safely perform clinical trials. I guess you could say we are completely rethinking the clinical approach. We hope to attract young visionaries from around the world; our unique working environment has already attracted scientists from some prestigious institutions. We want to be judged—and I invite our sponsors to do so—on how many of our innovative treatments actually reach patients. Our top priority is getting advanced treatments to patients faster so that precious lives can be saved.
MAKING OPPORTUNITIES HAPPEN “As a biologist, if I didn’t work at Clinatec I never would have been able to watch a deep brain stimulation procedure first-hand. While in the operating room, I noticed that the surgeon just threw away the electrodeplacing stylet once the procedure was finished. I realize that for surgeons a used stylet is useless, but for us biologists it’s a goldmine of information! That surgical instrument had been in direct contact with the diseased area. That’s when I got the idea for a system that collects biological data during an operation. The range of potential applications is huge. Data collected from a tumor edge can help us better understand— and prevent—cancer recurrence.” Ali Bouamrani, Clinatec biologist and engineer
COFFEE TALK “Clinatec is one of the few places in the world where you actually feel like you’ve learned something new after having a cup of coffee with a colleague.” Dr Napoléon Torres-Martinez, Clinatec neurosurgeon
At Clinatec, we pool knowledge from many fields to develop pioneering therapies. With your help we can keep pushing back the boundaries of medical science and technology.
AT CLINATEC, OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH SPEEDS THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY TO PATIENTS.
18-19 | ATOUTS OUR STRENGTHS +
A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDING PARTNERS “Our sponsors have every reason to believe in Clinatec. What sets us apart is our combination of modern equipment and knowledgeable experts from a wide range of fields. Clinatec and Grenoble University Medical Center are a perfect match.The hospital dedicates substantial resources to clinical research, with no less than 1,200 clinical trials underway.” Jacqueline Hubert, director of Grenoble University Medical Center
“Grenoble is the perfect location for an organization like Clinatec, with major scientific research facilities like the CEA, world-caliber universities, and innovative businesses. It’s also an environment with very strong R&D potential and a well-run teaching hospital—both crucial for our success. Basically, Grenoble ticks all the boxes for the kind of research center we want.” » Dr. Patrick Lévy, dean of Grenoble University’s Joseph Fourier School
“The R&D we do at Clinatec goes well beyond conventional biomedical research. At the crossroads of medical research, healthcare, science, and technology, Clinatec is the first center of its kind. The fact that doctors can perform operations right on site at our pilot hospital—made possible through our alliance with Grenoble University Medical Center—is another major benefit. As a Clinatec sponsor, you will help us find solutions to problems like neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries that desperately need a new therapeutic approach.”
MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS FOR ALL Based in Grenoble—one of the world’s five most inventive cities*—Clinatec is located in the heart of a vibrant innovation ecosystem. Many high-tech businesses are nearby to manufacture and market our biomedical devices for rapid rollout. “We plan to ramp up our cooperation with technology companies and lay the foundations for the emergence of a new business model.” Jean Therme, head of the Technological Research Division at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission “Drugs aren’t the only way to treat diseases. Thanks to the exponential growth in new technology, a wealth of other options is at our fingertips. We’re lucky to have so many businesses nearby that can manufacture, market, and distribute our innovations. After all, our top priority at Clinatec is getting new treatments out to patients.” Dr. François Berger, director of Clinatec
We need your help to turn our bright ideas into viable systems ready to be manufactured and sold by our industrial partners.
POOLING KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES At Clinatec, we boast cutting-edge equipment and facilities, including an intraoperative MRI machine—the only one in France—that lets surgeons view MRI images while they are operating. Scientists and engineers from around the world will be able to come to Clinatec to perform advanced research, share knowledge, and learn from our multi-faceted team.
Dr. André Syrota, chairman and president of Inserm
* Source: Forbes ranking of the world’s most inventive cities, 2013
LOCATED AT THE HEART OF A VIBRANT INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM, WE ARE IDEALLY POSITIONED TO SPEED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST.
“OUR R&D LEVERAGES TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PATIENTS’ HEALTH— AND LIVES.” JEAN THERME, HEAD OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH DIVISION AT THE FRENCH ALTERNATIVE ENERGIES AND ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (CEA)
20-21 | BECOME A DONOR
BEING ABLE TO WALK AGAIN, HOLD A PEN WITHOUT SHAKING, BELIEVE IN A CURE... ...ARE ALL SIMPLE THINGS THAT CAN HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON MILLIONS OF PEOPLE’S LIVES. BUT ONLY WITH YOUR SUPPORT. CONTACT US NOW. EVERY MINUTE COUNTS.
THE FUNDING WE NEED FOR MORE STAFF THE FUNDING WE NEED FOR NEW BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT
THE FUNDING WE NEED FOR BIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL TRIALS HELP US DEVELOP NEW TREATMENTS THAT ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. Developing a new treatment is a long, costly process marked by numerous tests and trials. With your help, we can speed this process and give our researchers the tools they need to do their life-saving work.
HELP US MAKE INNOVATIVE THERAPIES AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. Our projects go from the initial design phase through to the manufacturing prototype, bringing innovation ever closer to patients. Invest in ready-to-manufacture, ready-to-market medical systems with Clinatec.*
HELP US PUT THE WORLD’S BRIGHTEST SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO WORK ON CURES FOR DEBILITATING DISEASES. At Clinatec, we bring great minds together to improve the lives of patients everywhere. Support our R&D and help us leverage the unique know-how of renowned doctors, scientists, and engineers.
* Your donation will not be used to market the products that leverage our technology; the products we help develop will be sold through our partnerships with manufacturers.
€6,3 €9,7 €14 million
million
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS Millions of patients around the world are waiting for science to come up with the new treatments they so desperately need to get well. At Clinatec, we strive to develop these much-needed treatments by combining the latest advancements in biomedicine, electronics, and micro- and nanotechnology. And we won’t stop until our innovations are within everyone’s reach. Help us achieve that goal.Your support is the key to turning our dream into a reality.
million
22-23 | BECOME A DONOR
2014
SUPPORT OUR MAJOR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO RAISE €30 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS
2018
SPINAL CORD INJURIES
BCI PROJECT - €12.2 MILLION Goal: Construct a robotic exoskeleton for quadriplegics that operates by “reading” a patient’s brain signals and transforming them into robot commands
Next step: Develop and test a brain-computer interface and carry out the first clinical trials = €1.3 million
NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
NIR PROJECT - €1.7 MILLION Goal: Develop a preventative therapy for Parkinson’s disease that leverages the neuroprotective properties of near-infrared light
Next step: Carry out the first five clinical trials on Parkinson’s patients = €200,000
CANCER
CIBLE PROJECT - €6.3 MILLION Goal: Create a localized drug delivery system that can get innovative treatments directly to where they take action, on cancerous tumors and their environments
Next step: Design a new type of catheter to locally deliver cancer drugs = €1.5 million
CANCER & NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
EXPLORER PROJECT - €9.8 MILLION Goal: Develop a system for taking the molecular fingerprint of human tissue to analyze and better target diseased areas
Next step: Hire biologists for the 18 months needed to perform clinical trials on cancer patients with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain tumor = €614,000
SUPPORT CLINATEC AND INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE We have major projects in the works to better diagnose and treat patients suffering from debilitating diseases, improve the lives of those suffering from spinal cord injuries, and analyze and treat affected tissue with greater precision and fewer lesions. But we can’t do it without your help.
24-25 | BECOME A DONOR
“THE DISCOVERY OF DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION HAS BEEN A MIRACLE FOR THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE GRATEFUL. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE ADVANCEMENTS DEVELOPED AT THIS EXCEPTIONAL RESEARCH CENTER WILL FURTHER REVOLUTIONIZE THE FIELD OF HEALTHCARE AND DIRECTLY IMPROVE PATIENTS’ LIVES. IT’S AN HONOR TO SPONSOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU.” Lily Safra, Edmond J. Safra Foundation
“AT CRÉDIT AGRICOLE SUD RHÔNE-ALPES, A REGIONAL MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK, WE HAVE A LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO HELPING OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR SOCIETY—AND HEALTHCARE IS NO EXCEPTION. THAT’S WHY WE ARE A PROUD SPONSOR OF CLINATEC AND ITS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PATIENTS AND THE COMMUNITY. THROUGH OUR SPONSORSHIP, WE ARE HELPING TO FURTHER THE GRENOBLE AREA’S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.” Jean-Pierre Gaillard, chairman of Crédit Agricole Sud Rhône-Alpes
WE SINCERELY THANK THESE MAJOR DONORS.
PATIENT CAN’T AFFORD TO BE PATIENT We need your help to continue carrying out our research. You can make a donation in the form of money, equipment, time, or just simply your skills and energy. Any of the above would be greatly appreciated and put to good use.
THE REAL COST OF YOUR DONATION (IN FRANCE) BUSINESSES THE REAL COST OF YOUR DONATION €1,000,000
€400,000
In France, 60% of your donation is tax deductible.* * Up to 0.5% of your company’s fiscal year revenue (net of VAT). If your tax deduction exceeds this amount, you can carry it forward for up to five fiscal years. The tax deduction applies to corporate income tax as well as income tax for the self-employed (for example those working under France’s BIC and BNC tax schemes).
INDIVIDUALS THE REAL COST OF YOUR DONATION €150,000
€51,000
In France, 66% of your donation is tax deductible.** ** Up to 20% of your taxable income.
If you do not pay taxes in France, please contact us to learn more about how you can give to Clinatec and benefit from applicable tax deductions in your country of residence.
YOU ACTUALLY ONLY PAY A THIRD OF YOUR DONATION OUT OF POCKET Thanks to France’s tax deductions, the impact of your out-of-pocket donation is multiplied by a factor of three. That’s leverage worth taking advantage of.
BALANCING OUR SOURCES OF FUNDING We opened our research center in 2012 with the help of funding from the French government, local governments, and the Edmond J. Safra Foundation. By 2018 we hope to balance out our sources of funding, with: • 1/3 from the public sector; • 1/3 from industrial R&D contracts with businesses in France and the rest of Europe; and • 1/3 from major individual donors and corporate sponsors.
GREATER TRANSPARENCY To make it easier for you to get involved and make sure your donation is being used efficiently, we have set up the Clinatec Fund. This is a separate legal entity that will manage the money we collect from our generous sponsors.
THE EDMOND J.SAFRA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER
CONTACT
DON’T WAIT—BECOME A DONOR TODAY
Thierry Bosc, campaign Manager +33 607 45 80 14 thierry.bosc@clinatec.fr www.clinatec.fr/en
Contact us for more information about how you can support our research efforts. We will help you: • Determine which area of R&D you would like to contribute to; • Identify a research project that touches you personally or your community; • Plan out how you will make your donation;
OUR FOUNDING PARTNERS
• Arrange private visits, meet our scientists and engineers, and establish a communications strategy; • Forge a long-term relationship with our pioneering center.
COPYWRITING (FRENCH VERSION): IN MÉDIAS RES – ARTISTIC DIRECTION: LEFT STUDIO – PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDRÉA AUBERT– ENGLISH TRANSLATION: SFM TRADUCTION -COORDINATED BY CO-INFLUENCE
SO SICK PEOPLE NO LONGER HAVE TO WAIT FOR HOPE. THANK YOU.
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