Is the Sophia Antipolis technology park playing a role in the medicine of tomorrow, thanks to technology?

"There are 60 of us in this room, and I can tell you that two of us have an aneurysm." Professor Élie Hachem, lecturer-researcher and director of the CEMEF (1) center at the Ecole des Mines in Sophia Antipolis, made this conference very concrete. For this second meeting of the year of the Nice-Matin Group Eco Club, the partners were able to attend a round table on the positioning of Sophia Antipolis in the health sector.

60 of the health companies in the Alpes-Maritimes are located in Sophia Antipolis

Spoiler alert ! Europe's leading technology park, which boasts more than 2,500 companies and some 40,000 employees, is a hub for medtech, or technology applied to medicine. Alexandre Follot, deputy director general of the Sophia Antipolis Urban Community (CASA) , confirms this: "84 healthcare companies are located here, out of the 153 identified throughout the department. That's 60% of healthcare-related structures located in Sophia Antipolis. Not counting laboratories. That represents 3,500 jobs." Sophia Antipolis is thus identified as a health cluster. And a tech one. Because the question is, is the technology park contributing to the medicine of tomorrow, which is more preventative, more predictive, more personalized? The answer is a resounding yes and can be summed up in two words: cross-fertilization. In other words, the famous marriage of startups, large groups, public and private research and other competitiveness clusters, desired by Senator Lafitte who created the technology park in 1969. Professor Élie Hachem also campaigns for this cross-fertilization.

Very precise tools

He is leading several projects simultaneously, including a digital tool that can predict the risk of aneurysm rupture in a patient: "Thanks to fluid mechanics and data collected from patients, we can show the doctor a dynamic 3D image of blood flow. It's a very precise diagnostic tool." CEMEF is working with the medical staff of the Nice Hospitals on future technology relating to heart failure, but also on the personalization of stents (devices as thin as a hair placed in the artery to regulate blood flow). All that remains is to find a manufacturer - preferably French - for this optimal stent. "If we succeed, it will be a global tsunami," he assures. Another example of this successful union between tech and health is the work of the startup AMK Biotech , led by Aïda Meghraoui. She has created her own laboratory that combines biology and data analysis. "We have broken down the barriers between these two worlds and are developing diagnostic tests. Like an ID photo of a tumor that analyzes around forty parameters and 200 cell types on a single sample. Our first test, a winner of France 2030, can predict the recurrence of liver cancer." Also present at this meeting was Sandrine Antoniotti, executive vice-president of the German group Nuvisan , created after the closure of Galderma in 2017 in Sophia Antipolis. From the technology park, the group, which employs around a hundred people, is a subcontractor to the pharmaceutical industry. It develops, produces, and tests innovative drugs against all types of diseases (Alzheimer's, cancer, etc.). "We ensure that the drug will not transform or degrade, then the drugs are sent for clinical studies on patients." This is a long-term job when you consider that it takes ten or even twenty years before a drug can be put on the market.

Two new projects are coming

Things are buzzing in Sophia Antipolis and "We will continue to invest," CASA announced. Two major projects have been finalized: the construction of a Medtech Center on the campus of the Ecole des Mines (at the same time as its extension). A 40 million euro project – 7 million of which was provided by CASA – which delights Professor Élie Hachem. "We will be able to offer doctors the opportunity to work in a dedicated space, instead of occupying rooms in overcrowded hospitals. The idea is to train them to use new digital tools." The first groundbreaking ceremony is expected in 2026. Another project to follow is the Bio-incubator (2,800m2) which is expected to be installed in the premises of the Institute of Physics. Laurence Lacroix, director of the Genopole Business Growth Center based in Paris, is talking about it (via video).

Genopole is a bit like the cradle of the Téléthon, the place where research on rare diseases is carried out. And the biocluster has chosen Sophia Antipolis to open a branch, dedicated to biotechnologies with startups in aging, nutrition, etc., which will be supported with coworking and laboratories. Why Sophia Antipolis? "Because we find here very high-level research, a very rich ecosystem, infrastructure, a pool of talent and the technology park enjoys a good international image," she lists. No date for the start of this Bio-incubator which combines, among others, Université Côte d'Azur, Genopole and CASA, studies are underway to cost the rehabilitation of the premises. All these testimonies have allowed to see Sophia Antipolis from a different angle than that of microelectronics and computer science, old reflex when we talk about tech. Laurence Lacroix is ​​right in wanting to set up a few Genopole locations in Sophia Antipolis. A growing number of major international healthcare companies are setting up shop there, including ElaiaPharma, Coclear, and General Electric Health Care. Yet another sign of the excellent health of the Côte d'Azur technology park.

(1) Materials Shaping Center.