Created in 2019, iCRIN - for Clinical Research Infrastructures - represents an innovative initiative that brings together basic research conducted in the laboratory and clinical research conducted as close as possible to the sick. Together with the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital and Paris Brain Institute, the iCRINs have become an essential link in the fight against diseases of the nervous system. Their goal is simple but ambitious: to accelerate the transformation of scientific discoveries into concrete therapeutic solutions.
What are iCRINs?
The iCRIN is a unique organization, designed to promote exchanges between the physicians of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Medical-University Department of Neurosciences and the researchers of the Institut du Cerveau.
Traditionally, basic (laboratory-based) and clinical (patient-based) research have proceeded at different speeds, sometimes at different distances. The iCRINs change this dynamic by structuring a collaborative space where these two approaches interact on an ongoing basis.
Specifically, this initiative:
- to transfer knowledge from the laboratory to clinical trials more quickly,
- to better understand the real needs of sick people through the experience of clinicians,
- and to co-construct therapeutic solutions adapted to neurological and psychiatric pathologies.
A thematic organisation serving the sick
To be effective, iCRINs are structured around major medical themes that reflect current issues in neurology and psychiatry:
- Stroke, a major cause of adult disability,
- Parkinson's disease, whose motor and non-motor symptoms require comprehensive management,
- Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia in the world,
- Epilepsy, a chronic disease affecting the quality of life of millions of patients,
- Psychiatric pathology, which represents a major public health challenge.
Since 2022, the iCRIN has also expanded its activities by supporting state-of-the-art technical platforms. Among them, neuroimaging, neurophysiology and neuropathology occupy a central place, enabling us to explore the brain with unprecedented precision.
This cross-cutting structure ensures comprehensive coverage of issues related to brain diseases and disorders of the nervous system.
iCRIN : un levier pour l’innovation thérapeutique
With iCRIN, clinical research is becoming faster and more effective. Each new discovery made in the lab can be tested, validated and adapted more quickly to become a solution for the sick.
This acceleration dynamic is reflected in two ways:
- The development of new, innovative, better targeted treatments that meet real clinical needs.
- The creation of reliable and structured medical databases, essential to drive future artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
These data will eventually make it possible to develop predictive and personalized tools, paving the way for tomorrow's more preventive and accurate medicine.
The Importance of iCRIN for the Brain Institute
At the Brain Institute, iCRINs are more than just an organizational tool: they embody a new way of doing research. By bringing care and science closer together, they offer sick people the opportunity to benefit earlier from medical advances.
They are also a showcase for translational research — the field of science that aims to rapidly translate a fundamental discovery into clinical application. This “bench to bedside” approach is precisely what distinguishes iCRINs in the landscape of French and international medical research.
An Impact for Tomorrow’s Medicine
Beyond the immediate benefits for patients with neurological diseases, iCRINs help lay the foundations for the medicine of the future. By generating robust knowledge, protocols and data, they contribute to the development of innovative tools such as:
- biomarkers enabling earlier detection of certain pathologies,
- AI platforms capable of analyzing large amounts of data to provide personalized treatments,
- integrated clinical models where research and care reinforce each other.
In this way, iCRIN not only accelerates current research, but also anticipates the medical needs of tomorrow.
An initiative to serve individuals and society
The creation of iCRINs responds to a major public health challenge: to better understand and treat neurological and psychiatric diseases, which affect millions of people in France and around the world every year.
By placing the individual at the centre of this process, the Institut du Cerveau and the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital demonstrate their desire to turn research into concrete benefits for society.
