Medtronic (Minneapolis, USA) is the first leading company manufacturing and commercializing implantable neuromodulation devices used to treat pain for many years, by spinal cord stimulation (SCS), peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), motor cortex stimulation and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Medtronic has collaborated with the pain and neurosurgical teams involved in INOVPAIN for many years, and currently participates in the funding of the follow-up cohort of refractory chronic daily headache (rCDH) patients treated by occipital nerve stimulation (ONS), called “Observatoire National de l’ONS” coordinated by our teams. Our partnership with Medtronic focus on the identification of psycho-social markers of SCS response, and the development and diffusion of ONS in chronic cluster headache (CCH).
St Jude Medical (Minneapolis, USA) is the second leading company providing neuromodulation devices dedicated to PNS, SCS and DBS for the treatment of rCP. St Jude participates in the funding of the “Observatoire National de l’ONS” since 2013 and in the ongoing DOSE-CLUSTIM study (controlled trial focusing in ONS efficacy for cluster headache). Our partnership with St Jude focus on the development and diffusion of ONS, and the evaluation and development of DBS targeting the emotional component of pain in rCP patients (EMOPAIN study).
Autonomic Technologies (ATI) (USA) is an emerging company having designed and developed a neuromodulation implantable device dedicated to the stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion. We were one of the five European teams involved in the proof of concept study that allowed ATI to recently obtain a CE approval for this device in the treatment of CCH. We continue our partnership with ATI to promote the diffusion of this approach in rCDH.
Renishaw (Bristol, UK) commercializes the Neuromate neurosurgical robot, dedicated to stereotaxy and DBS, validated and used by the INOVPAIN neurosurgical team in DBS procedures for movement disorders and pain. The company recently developed Neurolocate, a new registration system, which accuracy is evaluated in our neurosurgical platform in DBS procedures, including for pain.
Serviligne (Nice, France) is a local emerging company specialized in the development of custom software solutions using pre-existing connected tools. Serviligne has already collaborated with other UCA research teams to develop solutions to monitor the autonomy of elderly people. We adapt and develop these solutions for the monitoring of rCP patients. Serviligne and INOVPAIN collaborate to develop solutions to collect the data for the rCP database through smartphones, and to develop e-Health solutions dedicated to rCP patients.
ORPHIT (Nice, France) is a local pharmaceutical company developing two new therapeutic solutions with high potentials in rCP patients: i) Syn 1002, a small peptide which showed analgesic properties in animal models and ii) a connected device allowing to deliver opioids transdermally according to the level of pain. The mechanisms of action of the Syn1002 peptide is explored in collaboration with the INOVPAIN research teams and our partnership promote pilot clinical studies to evaluate these solutions in rCP patients.
AXONIC (Sophia Antipolis, France) is the latest subsidiary of MXM Group, dedicated in R&D in advanced neurostimulation systems to provide the health sector with diagnostic and therapeutic solutions based on electro-neurostimulation. AXONIC is the inheritor of all skills and knowledge built up since more than 25 years in developing and producing cochlear implant systems in its former sister subsidiary NEURELEC. Today AXONIC is focusing in design and development of active neuromodulation devices including stimulation of peripheral nerves, with high potential in the treatment of neuropathic pain located in the limbs or phantom limb pain. Through our partnership, we participate in the evaluation and development of these devices, in their different applications.
PCAS is a technology oriented fine chemical group serving globally industrial customers since 1962. Their domain of expertise is the development of processes and production of complex molecules for Life Sciences and Specialty Chemicals Markets. PCAS help our FHU teams in developing new drugs from bench to clinical applications, with respect to regulations (sustainable development, ISO, GMP).
SATT Sud Est. Set up in February 2012, SATT Sud Est (“Société d’Accélération de Transfert de Technologie”) boosts the competitiveness of companies through innovation stemming from public research. Its core business involves bringing inventions developed by its shareholder research bodies to readiness on legal (intellectual property), economic (market) and technical (proof of concept) levels. SATT Sud Est has been recently implicated in the promotion of a transfer activity for the regional hospitals (Nice CHU and AP-HM) particularly via calls focusing on Medical devices and e-health. SATT aims to facilitate transferring innovative technologies stemming from our FHU teams to the economic fabric while granting operating licenses to companies.
Local industrial partners or big neuromodulation companies, providing new pharmaceutics or neuromodulation devices, find in the INOVPAIN FHU all the facilities to test new therapeutic solutions through models and/or clinical trials, which facilitate the technological transfer to the patient’s bed. Collaborations with local industrial partners (Orphit, Serviligne, Axonic) strengthen the local economic dynamics and networks.