BRAIN AND SPINE INSTITUTE

Strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders, brain and spinal cord trauma... In Europe, diseases of the nervous system affect more than one person out of eight.

To get into action, a unique site where the major pathologies of the brain and spinal cord will be studied and treated has been created, the ICM. This ambitious project, without borders, requires the talents and competence of the best of the public and private sectors, both national and international, for maximum benefit to patients.

It is our conviction that to understand and treat the major pathologies of the brain and spinal cord, the best researchers, clinicians, engineers must work together, in close association with patients. Innovative treatments, based on the most recent discoveries, will be prescribed in the place where they are conceived and developed.

The ICM is located in the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, known world-wide for the quality of its care of patients with nervous system disorders. It is also a center for high-level neuroscience research. From genes to behaviour and from behaviour to genes, research in the ICM will include all disciplines.

The founders of the ICM want cutting-edge research to be part of the therapeutic process. Scientists, caregivers, engineers, patients, drug companies, share the same ambition: prevent, repair, cure the diseases of the brain and spinal cord. The goal is to stimulate creativity, leading to:

 the optimization of resources allocated to research by creating an internationally recognized pole of excellence in the neurosciences;  a reduction of the time needed to translate the results of research into clinical applications for patients.

In the heart of the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, the ICM is located close to the three buildings housing consultations and hospitalization facilities for the treatment of nervous system disorders: neurosurgery and neuroradiology, neurology and neuropathology, psychiatry. This strategic localization will allow the ICM to realize its objective of associating research and patient care.

Designed by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the building is a beacon to all researchers who want to work under ideal conditions. All in glass and light, the building has the shape of an H for optimal spatial organization:

 flexible infrastructures are adapted to the needs of the research groups;  communication on and between floors are facilitated;  luminous, its great walls of glass and transparent circulation reinforce its openness to the world.

The building has eight floors and two basements for a surface of 22,000 m². It contains zones for discussion, research, consultations with patients, teaching…

Designed to be at the service of everyone and to create a stimulating scientific environment, the ICM fosters interactions and dialogue among the participants.

 The meeting place is the showcase of the Institute that gives access to its various activities, the laboratories, the conference rooms, the clinic.  The research laboratories occupy a surface of 11,000 m². They are organized in modules around the central part of the building, which houses the technology platforms that are open to everyone.  Clinical research space includes the Center for Clinical Investigations and the neuroimaging platform.  Teaching and training facilities, in particular a 180 seat amphitheatre.  Space for industrial partners and start-up companies.  Finally, space for the logistics of the Institute.