The European Inventor Award 2024 finalists have been announced, and include a French husband-and-wife team who are developing a potential new Parkinson’s treatment.
David Devos and Caroline Moreau, who work together at Lille University Hospital in France, beat over 500 applications to become one of three finalists in the Research category of the European Inventor Award this year. They are also in the running for the Awards’ “Popular Inventor Prize”, which is voted for by members of the public.
Devos and Moreau’s invention is a dosing pump that allows people with Parkinson’s to have anaerobic dopamine (or A-dopamine) delivered directly to their brain in consistent quantities. The aim of the treatment is to help combat the symptom fluctuations and “off” periods many people experience as their condition advances.
The catheters are designed to be internally implanted into the brain of the person with Parkinson’s, who can then administer the A-dopamine using the pump system when needed, with the pump’s dopamine supply being refilled every one to two weeks.
“It’s like giving a flower its precious water drop by drop all the time instead of drowning it,” David explains.
The pair developed Anaerobic dopamine (replacing the oxygen in a dopamine solution with dioxide and nitrogen in an anaerobic chamber) after previous efforts found that dopamine was ineffective when oxidised.
Watch the video below for more information about their work and why they’ve become finalists:
Their research project – the only health-related research project to make it through to the finals of the awards – began Phase I in September 2020, and will complete its Phase II trial in June 2024. If the results are positive a Phase III clinical trial will be their next step before they are able to get the pump and A-dopamine approved as a Parkinson’s treatment in Europe and the USA.
“We are very pleased to have been selected by the European Patent Office for our therapeutic innovation and we warmly thank the members of the jury,” reports Professor Devos, continuing:
“Treatment with A-dopamine considerably reduced the periods during which patients suffered from both dopamine-dependent tremor, slowness, pain, and difficulties in walking and communicating, as well as Levodopa-induced abnormal symptoms (involuntary movements, agitation) limiting their autonomy and quality of life. All the treated patients wished to continue the treatment over the very long term.”
“We are convinced that A-dopamine will be a groundbreaking therapeutic weapon administered on a long run to patients…. That said, we have to remain humble because we are not curing Parkinson’s disease.”
The Parkinson’s community can also vote for David and Caroline to win the Popular Inventor Award, with the public vote now open, and running until early July.
The winners will be announced at the finals of the European Inventor Award 2024 in Malta on 9 July 2024, with the ceremony also being live-streamed to the public online.
The European Inventor Award was launched in 2006 to give recognition to and inspire inventors, with its annual jury consisting of previous prize winners and finalists. Other categories for the awards include Industry, SMEs and Non-EPO Countries.
Find out more about the European Inventor Award 2024 on their website and vote for David and Caroline to win the Popular Inventor Prize.
