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their efforts.” Professor Benabid’s findings in the
area of Parkinson’s disease have earned him several
prestigious prizes and international recognition,
including the 2014 Lasker-Debakey award. Professor
Benabid has notably initiated the development
of high-frequency deep-brain stimulation of the
subthalamic nucleus, a surgical technique that
decreases tremors and restores motor functions in
patients with Parkinson’s disease at an advanced
stage. More than 150,000 people in the world have
already benefited from this treatment.
its founder’s life and values and supports hundreds
of organizations in over 40 countries around the
world. Its work encompasses four areas: Education;
Science and Medicine; Religion; and Humanitarian
Assistance, Culture, and Social Welfare. Clinatec –
The Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center
teams of medical doctors, biologists, mathematicians,
engineers and other specialists bring a unique,
multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis and
treatment of neurodegenerative diseases cancer and
motor disabilities, and development of innovative
biomedical devices to improve patient lives. The
teams are comprised of personnel from the Grenoble
University Hospital Centre, CEA, Université Joseph
Fourier and Inserm.
Clinatec’s current projects include:
Adapting a brain-computer interface to an exoskeleton
system to provide mobility to quadriplegics. Clinatec
teams already have demonstrated the feasibility
of controlling equipment attached to the body and
connected to the human cortex. This project awaits
human trials
Mrs. Lily Safra visits the Edmond and Lily Safra
Children’s Hospital in Tel Hashomer, outside Tel
Aviv, one of the leading children’s hospitals in the
Middle East. Over the past decade the Edmond and
Lily Safra Children’s Hospital has developed from
a small pediatric medical division into a unique
and well-regarded tertiary medical service, treating
children from Israel, the Palestinian Authority,
and throughout the region.”
Edmond J. Safra, one of the 20th century’s most
accomplished bankers and a devoted philanthropist,
established a major philanthropic foundation to
ensure that needy individuals and organizations
would continue to receive his assistance and
encouragement for many years to come. Under the
chairmanship of his beloved wife Lily, the Edmond J.
Safra Foundation draws continuing inspiration from
The start of clinical trials for the Near Infrared
Radiation (NIR) project, which is investigating the
progress of Parkinson’s disease through the neuroprotective
effect of near infrared light. When applied
to the precise spot in the brain where PD and other
diseases cause irreversible damage, near-infrared
radiation can prevent damage. By protecting the
neurons, this process could avoid the gradual
degradation of the patient’s faculties and the major
disabilities that follow. An intracranial NIR system is
currently under development.
The fund-raising campaign is led by Alain Mérieux,
chairman of Institut Merieux, an international
medicine and public health concern focused on
diagnostics, immunotherapy and nutrition. “Since
its beginning, the Mérieux Institute has worked on
developing biology and innovative medicine that is
accessible to all. This is an ambition we share with
Clinatec, one of the world’s most unique research
centers,” Mérieux said. “Together with Clinatec, we are
taking part in the fight against diseases that can affect
all of us, and by supporting Clinatec, we are joining a
great scientific, medical and human initiative.”
www.edmondjsafra.org
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