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Neurinnov, a solution for regaining hand control

Information updated on 24/03/20

Montpellier startup Neurinnov is in the process of developing HandyGrasp, an unprecedented medical device. Assisted by Montpellier BIC, the promising young company is at the heart of the local health innovation ecosystem.

Les cofondateurs de Neurinnov : David Andreu, Serge Renaux, David Guiraud (de gauche à droite). @DR

Neurinnov co-founders: David Andreu, Serge Renaux, and David Guiraud (from left to right).

Some tetraplegic patients could soon regain some of their autonomy and be able to eat or drink by themselves. Neurinnov has created an implant called HandyGrasp that will help people regain control of their hand.

“Similarly to a pacemaker, an electronic device is implanted in the body and a small external box communicates the patient’s intention transcutaneously,” explains David Andreu, one of the company’s three co-founders.

Their solution is innovative because it uses electrodes to selectively stimulate the two nerves – radial and median – leading to the muscles involves with hand movement.


“With a minimal incision, surgery should take less than one hour to complete,” adds the researcher. Tests carried out on nine patients as part of a clinical protocol coordinated by Jacques Tessier at the Beau-Soleil clinic in Montpellier have already validated the concept.

“A very rich medical, scientific, and entrepreneurial ecosystem”

David Andreu, a research-professor at University of Montpellier, and David Guiraud, researcher at INRIA (National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology), have been working on these innovations for over 15 years. In 2018, they founded Neurinnov with Serge Renaux, an expert in marketing in the medical sector. He is CEO of the company. The two researchers are currently carrying out chronic clinical experiments with the Public Assistance - Paris Hospitals (Raymond Poincaré Hospital) as part of the European project Agilis.

With its R&D center hosted at Inria, the company is assisted by Montpellier BIC and SATT AxLR. “Our location here is essential,” admits David Andreu.

It enables us to benefit from a very rich medical, scientific, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, while also contributing to the Montpellier France Health Hub initiative.” Since 2018, the company has hired three engineers and will hire a fourth in July 2020. Neurinnov also plans to launch a round of funding in 2020 to develop its product. The goal is to release its implantable medical device on the market by 2024.
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