With the support of the Art Basel Paris Contemporary Art Fair, the 14th edition of the Art-Science Breakfast was held on 22 October 2025 at the Grand Café du Grand Palais (Paris).
Over the years, the Art-Science Breakfast has become an emblematic meeting for philanthropists committed to neuroscience research. It brings together patrons and actors from the scientific and artistic worlds. This 2025 edition, hosted by Natacha Polony and under the patronage of François Henrot, marked a double highlight: the celebration of the Institute’s 15th anniversary and the unveiling of The Brain Challenge, the Brain Institute’s Strategic Campaign 2023-2028 to understand and treat brain diseases.
15 Years of Innovation and Progress: Taking Stock and Looking Forward
Prof. Gérard Saillant, President of Paris Brain Institute since its creation until 30 September 2025, and now Honorary President, stressed that the vision conceived by the Institute’s founders 15 years ago had now been realized. The originality of the Institute’s model – based on an alliance of the best of the public and private sectors, an entrepreneurial spirit that values risk-taking, research inspired by creativity, and collaboration among patients, researchers and physicians – has been proven. He highlighted a selection of examples of the Institute’s successes over the past 15 years, particularly in the field of focal epilepsy, which is resistant to all medical treatments, where progress in recent years has led to the development of a non-invasive drug treatment, and to freedom from surgery. Or the development of a technique now routinely used in the clinic based on the use of ultrasound to treat patients with severe essential tremors, with spectacular results, just minutes after transcranial stimulation.
Today, Paris Brain Institute has an international reach. It brings together the best experts and is capable of crossing the last frontiers of brain knowledge. What we are interested in, however, is not prestige, but concrete and lasting discoveries. This record, which we share with you this morning, is a reflection of what we have achieved together.
Prof. Stéphanie Debette, Director General, presented the strategic axes for the coming years, highlighting in particular the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science being set up by the Institute. Artificial intelligence techniques, she says, are now mature enough to transform the way we conduct neuroscience research, explore new therapeutic approaches and build robust precision medicine to prevent, detect and treat brain diseases.
At the dawn of this new phase, our ambition is clear: to accelerate discoveries, support innovation and strengthen the synergy between basic research, clinical research and artificial intelligence. The Brain Challenge empowers us to make a global impact on human health. Your support is more essential than ever.
The Brain Challenge: The Brain Institute’s Strategic Fundraising Campaign
The 2025 edition of the Art-Science Breakfast was the occasion to officially unveil The Brain Challenge Campaign, the Institute’s strategic fundraising initiative for the period 2023-2028. Chaired by Martine Assouline and Maurice Lévy, it is supported by a Campaign Committee of leading philanthropists from the economic, industrial and cultural worlds and intends to mobilise major French and international donors and patrons to fund the most ambitious research programmes.
The 5 axes of The Brain Challenge Campaign.
Ensuring an enabling environment for major scientific advances
Major discoveries often come from work at the interface of scientific disciplines. To foster the highest level of excellence, the Brain Institute must attract the best researchers, bring out cross-cutting projects and ensure that its teams have the capacity to quickly access the expertise and technology needed to carry them out.
Accelerating knowledge of the brain in all its complexity
Because it is the most effective research route for understanding the diseases that may affect it. This dynamic is driven by a number of highly advanced research programs that study its development, operation and plasticity, and are based on the latest exploration techniques.
Create pioneering therapeutic and preventive solutions and make them available to patients
Whether in the form of medical technologies, digital applications, new drugs or new care practices. By developing cutting-edge clinical research and building on our own start-up studio NeurAL, our aim is to accelerate the development of new treatments for patients.
Making a fully personalized physician possible in the short term
To predict the onset and development of pathologies, manage them earlier and tailor treatments to each individual. A promise made possible by the immense potential of artificial intelligence and the exploitation of millions of medical data within the framework of its IA and Data Science Centre.
Becoming the Reference in the Dissemination of a Culture of Neuroscience
The Brain Institute has the infrastructure and expertise to share its neuroscience knowledge beyond the lab. Its aim is to encourage conversation between researchers and doctors from the beginning of their studies, to train teachers and entrepreneurs and to help disseminate neuroscience to the general public.
A scientific and artistic morning
Dr. Mehdi Touat, a researcher and clinician at the Institut du Cerveau and Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, presented his work on glioblastomas, highlighting the contribution of the IA and Data Science Centre in rapidly finding new therapeutic targets in these brain tumours – the most frequent and also the most aggressive. In exchange with Natacha Polony, Dr. Mehdi Touat also shared his relationship with the patient and the crucial support he provides to patients.
Emotion was heightened by the video testimony of Alexandra Curiel-Joffo, who is working for research in memory of her husband Franck Joffo, who died of glioblastoma. This sequence illustrated the importance of the alliance between patients, families, researchers and clinicians to accelerate discoveries.
In keeping with the Art-Science spirit, the event included a dialogue between British artist Oliver Beer and curator and art historian Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, illustrating the link between science and creation. Oliver Beer also presented his creative process and his work Resonance Painting (Waves Know Shores, 2025), accompanied by a musical performance performed by nine choristers, exploring resonance, a central theme of his work. These original works are the fruit of Oliver Beer’s regular meetings and exchanges with 7 researchers and clinicians from the Brain Institute.
At the end of the event, Serge Weinberg, President of the Brain Institute since October 1, 2025, praised the commitment of all those present and the collective dynamic that allows the Brain Institute to continue to position itself as a world leader in neuroscience. The mobilization of the Brain Institute’s patrons and donors on this morning was exceptional and offers the Institute’s researchers the ability to continue and deepen their research work. to overcome diseases of the nervous system.
This event was generously supported by Art Basel Paris, the Fondation Lafayette Anticipations and the Groupe Loulou.
