Closing Ceremony of RHU-EPINOV project « Improving EPilepsy surgery management and progNOsis using Virtual brain technology»
RHU-EPINOV
« Improving EPilepsy surgery management and progNOsis using Virtual brain technology»
Closing Ceremony on November 08th, 2023 at the New Hotel of Marseille
Winner of the 3rd call for Hospital-University Health Research projects under the French "Plan des Investissements d'Avenir" phase 3 (PIA3) program, the RHU-EPINOV project was launched on January 1, 2018, and funded by the ANR (National Research Agency) with a budget of €5,276,060[i] over a period of 6 years[ii]. The project, coordinated by Professor Fabrice Bartolomei, Head of the Epileptology and Cerebral Rhythmology Department at AP-HM and Head of the Clinical Neurosciences Division, will be completed in its overall financing in December 2023.
This innovative project aims to improve the success rate of brain surgery in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. The RHU-EPINOV project facilitated the development of a brain simulation technology based on the modeling of individual patient data, called the Virtual Brain (VEP), developed within the team of Dr.Viktor Jirsa at the Institute of Systems Neuroscience (INSERM/AMU). This technology generates a digital twin of the brain, enabling a better analysis of the epileptogenicity of the brain for a given patient.
To validate this approach, the “Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille” (AP-HM), partner of the project, initiated a multicenter randomized clinical trial (NCT03643016) involving the participation of 12 epilepsy surgery centers in France, with the inclusion of 356 patients. This prospective and randomized study aims to compare surgical outcomes in terms of seizure frequency between a group having a virtual model and a control group.
On November 8, 2023, the official closing ceremony of the project took place at the New Hotel of Marseille, bringing together the consortium partners of the project: Aix-Marseille University (AMU), National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Dassault Systèmes (3DS), and Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL). Representatives from SATT Sud-Est (SATT SE) and the startup Virtual Brain Technologies (VBTech) were also present.
This event was the occasion to present an overview of the scientific and technological achievements that led to the accomplishment of the objectives of the RHU-EPINOV project, including :
Establishment of a world-unique clinical database through the inclusion of 356 patients and the modeling of 166 personalized virtual brain reports for epileptic patients (VEP reports).
Development of a stabilized software prototype for clinical use in collaboration with the industrial partner Dassault Systèmes.
Advancements in new technologies for high-resolution neuro-computational modeling using non-invasive approaches.
Establishment of a startup (VB TECH) for the industrial development of products and licenses related to the epileptic virtual brain.
This project led to the development of the first computational model enabling the visualization of brain activity in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. This technology paves the way for the possibility of in silico testing of future therapeutic solutions, such as virtual surgery and non-invasive brain stimulations.
Learn more about RHU-EPINOV.
Contact :
Prof. Fabrice BARTOLOMEI
Coordinator of RHU-EPINOV project
Head of the Epileptology and Cerebral Rhythmology Department at AP-HM Chef du Pôle Neurosciences Cliniques
[i] Restructuring of the project's budget and governance in 2020
[ii] One-year extension beyond the initially planned 5 years
