Improving quality of life and autonomy for Parkinson’s patients: French neurologists selected as finalists for the European Inventor Award 2024
- Professors David Devos and Caroline Moreau and their team found a way to reduce the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s, such as tremors, slowness, stiffness, pain and difficulty walking and communicating
- Their invention compensates for the lack of dopamine in the brain, preventing its oxidation and using a pump to deliver it to the central nervous system
- The French couple will compete for the ‘Research’ category award against a German and a Maltese team until 9 July
- Voting for the Popular Prize, awarded by the public, is open as of today
Munich, 16 May 2024 – Parkinson’s Europe estimates that Parkinson’s Disease (PD) affects approximately 10 million people worldwide, and the number of cases is increasing due to longer life expectancy. French neurologists and pharmacologists David Devos and Caroline Moreau, along with their team, have developed a game-changing method that targets the decreasing levels of dopamine associated with advance-staged Parkinson’s, alleviating symptoms such as trembling, slowness, stiffness, pain and difficulty walking and communicating. Devos and Moreau, partners in life and at work, are finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2024 in recognition of their dedicated work. They were selected from over 550 candidates for this year’s edition.
Dopamine, the key for reducing symptoms of Parkinson’s
Dopamine plays a key role as a neurotransmitter, but patients with Parkinson’s present decreased levels of this molecule in their brains, with limited automatic regulation of movement, thought and emotion. Devos and Moreau discovered a way to produce, store and painlessly deliver dopamine without oxidation, their so-called A-dopamine. “We compensate this loss with a safe and continuous brain delivery of non-oxidative dopamine with a dosing pump implanted under the skin in the abdomen and connected to a very fine catheter in the brain via robotic surgery. The pump can then be refilled every 7 to 15 days by means of a puncture through the skin of the abdomen”, explained David Devos.
Once the pump is implanted a new 20-millilitre dose of dopamine is administered every one to two weeks. While refilling is relatively painless, a local anaesthetic patch can be applied to provide greater patient comfort.
The neurologists giving patients a new lease on life
Pioneers in neurology, Devos and Moreau have been working together to develop therapeutic strategies to alleviate symptoms of axial disorders in different neurodegenerative diseases. Their ultimate objective is to improve the quality of life of those physically, mentally and socially affected by these disorders. “We want to find something to increase the patient’s autonomy and quality of life. There are many symptoms of Parkinson’s and every patient will have their own symptoms, such as pain, fatigue or mobility issues. One patient in two does not receive the optimum treatment to control their symptoms and improve their quality of life, but we can help with that”, adds Caroline Moreau.
Devos and Moreau developed their invention at the Lille University Hospital (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille), with the collaboration of University of Lille and INSERM, among others. Completing Phases I and II in June 2024 will pave the way for a Phase III clinical trial to obtain marketing authorisation in Europe and the United States, via their spin-off startup, InBrain Pharma. This will allow the company to commercialise its A-dopamine solution, improving symptoms for PD patients and contributing to medical science advancements.
The French team is one of three finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the 2024 European Inventor Award. The other finalists recognised for outstanding work are German Cordelia Schmid, for her AI work that enable advanced machine perception that closely mimics human visual interpretation and Maltese Tonio Sant and Daniel Buhagiar and their team for their sustainable offshore energy storage solution. The EPO will announce the winners during a ceremony livestreamed here from Malta on 9 July 2024. In addition to each category, the EPO will reveal the Popular Prize winner, chosen by online public vote. Voting will remain open until the day of the ceremony.
Find more information about the invention’s impact, the technology and the inventors’ stories here.
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About the European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. In 2024, the jury is chaired by Wolfgang M. Heckl. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more here on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria and livestream ceremony to be held on 9 July in Malta.
About the EPO
With 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 45 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.