Clinatec

About Clinatec

Clinatec is a biomedical research center located in Grenoble, France, that operates at the intersection of healthcare and technology to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and severe motor disabilities. The concept for Clinatec emerged from a 2006 meeting between Professor Alim-Louis Benabid, a neurosurgeon renowned for his work in deep brain stimulation (DBS), and Jean Therme, then director of technological research at CEA Grenoble. This led to the establishment of the research center at the end of 2011, created through a powerful partnership between the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital (CHU), Inserm, and the Université Grenoble Alpes.

Professor Benabid, a French-Algerian neurosurgeon and physicist, has had a global impact on the treatment of Parkinson's disease through his development of DBS. His dual background in medicine and physics uniquely positioned him to refine DBS techniques, which have since improved the quality of life for over 150,000 people with Parkinson's disease. He now serves as the Chairman of the Board at Clinatec. To enhance the center's agility and resources, the Clinatec Endowment Fund was created in 2014. This non-profit entity, which became a research organization in its own right in 2019, focuses on fundraising and managing partnerships to accelerate the translation of research into clinical applications. The Fund is supported by philanthropy, with major contributions from entities like the Edmond J. Safra Foundation.

The organization functions as a project accelerator, guiding the development of medical devices from initial concept through to clinical trials. It brings together a multidisciplinary team of around 100 doctors, engineers, biologists, and researchers in a 6,000-square-meter facility that includes laboratories, six hospital rooms, and a state-of-the-art operating suite with intraoperative MRI. This integrated model allows for a seamless R&D chain, from basic science to preclinical and clinical proof-of-concept. Clinatec's business model relies on a combination of public funding from its founding partners (CEA, CHU Grenoble Alpes), significant philanthropic donations via its endowment fund, and collaborations with academic and industrial partners. The primary objective is to make new scientific knowledge freely available and transfer technologies to manufacturers to benefit as many patients as possible.

Clinatec's portfolio includes several advanced projects. The Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) initiative aims to restore mobility to quadriplegic individuals via an implant (WIMAGINE®) that decodes brain signals to control an exoskeleton. Another key project, NIR, investigates the use of near-infrared light delivered via an intracranial device to slow the progression of diseases like Parkinson's by protecting neurons. For epilepsy, the Epicool project is developing an implantable device that uses targeted cooling to block seizures.