Institut Imagine

What Institut Imagine does

Institut Imagine is a Paris-based, non-profit research and innovative healthcare institute founded in 2007 as a Fondation de Coopération Scientifique under French law, headquartered at 24 Boulevard du Montparnasse on the campus of Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades. Its mission is to understand and treat genetic diseases — a category affecting an estimated 35 million people in Europe — by integrating four functions on a single campus: research, innovative patient care, education, and value creation. The institute serves patients and families affected by rare genetic diseases, while also providing research infrastructure, clinical trial capabilities, and translational platforms to academic researchers and pharmaceutical/biotech industry partners.

Imagine operates a core platform stack that includes the LabTech Single-Cell@Imagine facility built on 10X Genomics droplet microfluidics (3'/5' transcriptomics, VDJ, CITE-seq, ATAC-seq), a Pl ateforme IPS for reprogramming patient somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, a Health Data Warehouse dedicated to rare disease research, Biological Collections, and the diagnostic aid tool AIDY 2 for automatic phenotyping of craniofacial dysmorphism. Clinical research is delivered through two Clinical Investigation Centers (a mother-child CIC directed by Prof. Jean-Marc Tréluyer and the CIC-BT for Biotherapy directed by Prof. Marina Cavazzana). Innovation programs include the Springboard accelerator, the BioLaunchpad entrepreneurship training program, and the Lab-in-Labs hosting facility for industry partners. Outputs since 2012 include 106 lab innovations, 60 patents filed, 12 licenses with industry, 10 startups created, 280 R&D partnership agreements, and 580 clinical trials supporting a pipeline of 400 therapeutic and diagnostic solutions.

As a non-profit foundation, Imagine does not derive revenue from commercial product sales. Funding flows from four streams: donations and philanthropy (one-time or monthly, suggested tiers of 60€, 100€, 150€, 250€ with a 20% French tax deduction); institutional grants under French and European programs (IHU, Institut Carnot, RHU, ANR, FRM, ERC); industry R&D partnerships and licensing revenues; and clinical research services for pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors. Founding members include AP-HP, INSERM, Université Paris Cité, Ville de Paris, Fondation des Hôpitaux de Paris, and AFM-Téléthon; the institute also runs cross-border collaborations such as the WIDGeT gene-therapy initiative with Sanofi and the COVID Human Genetic Effort consortium.

Name

Institut Imagine

Legal name

Institut Imagine – Institut des maladies génétiques, Fondation de Coopération Scientifique

Website

https://institutimagine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Institut Imagine is a Paris-based, non-profit hospital-university research foundation dedicated to understanding and treating genetic diseases, co-locating research, innovative patient care, education, and technology transfer on the Necker-Enfants Malades campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genetic Disease Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Biomedical Research Universities (Academic Medical Center–Affiliated) (EDAHABAC), Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Genetic disease research
• Clinical research services
• Pediatric hospital care
• Genomic sequencing platform
• Rare disease diagnosis

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: Individual donations, major donor programs, corporate sponsorships and partnerships, legacies, and life insurance donations. Donation amounts suggested at 60€, 100€, 150€, 250€ with 20% tax reduction for French donors.
2. Industry R&D Partnerships: R&D partnership agreements with industry, licensing agreements, and technology transfer revenues. 280 R&D partnership agreements signed with industry since 2012; 12 licenses signed with industry partners.
3. Institutional Funding: Government and public funding including IHU (Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire) status, Institut Carnot label, RHU (Hospital-University Research) grants, ANR, FRM, ERC, and other French and European research funding.
4. Clinical Research Services: Clinical research conducted in partnership with pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms for therapeutic and diagnostic validation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Institut Imagine is a French research and innovative healthcare institute that integrates basic research laboratories with clinical patient care on the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades campus in Paris. The institute concentrates on understanding and treating genetic diseases, hosting more than 1,000 physicians, researchers, and engineers working across approximately 30 research platforms and 13 clinical investigation centers to develop diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for rare genetic conditions.

Product overview

Institut Imagine is a genetic disease research institute operating as a unified research and care institution rather than a traditional product company. The institute provides a comprehensive ecosystem combining research platforms, clinical services, and innovation programs. Core platforms include the Single-Cell Analysis Platform (LabTech Single-Cell@Imagine) using 10X Genomics technology for genomic analysis at single-cell resolution, the iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell) Platform for disease modeling, and the Imagine Clinical Research Platform comprising two Clinical Investigation Centers. Diagnostic tools include AIDY 2 for automatic phenotyping by 2D patient photography. Innovation programs include the Springboard Accelerator for startups, BioLaunchpad for bioentrepreneurship training, and Lab-in-Labs facility hosting innovative companies. The institute also maintains a Health Data Warehouse and Biological Collections for research purposes. Key research teams focus on areas including neurogenetics, interferonopathies, hereditary kidney diseases, neurological diseases, genetic skin diseases, fibroses, and tissue immunity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Springboard: Accelerator program for startup companies focused on genetic rare diseases

Products and services

• Research Platform Access Services Access to approximately 30 integrated research platforms covering genomic sequencing, single-cell analysis, iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells), and deep phenotyping. Services are offered to academic researchers and industry partners working on genetic disease research and translational projects.
• Clinical Investigation Center (CIC) Services Clinical research and trials conducted across 13 clinical investigation centers, including a mother-child CIC and a specialized Biotherapy CIC. Approximately 580 clinical trials are ongoing or completed to validate therapeutic and diagnostic solutions for genetic diseases.
• Springboard Accelerator A dedicated accelerator program designed to advance research projects toward concrete therapeutic and diagnostic solutions in genetic diseases. Supports early-stage projects with industry partnership pathways and seed acceleration for projects up to TRL 4.
• Lab-in-Labs Hosting Facility Hosted facility program that accommodates biotech and medtech companies wishing to conduct research on Institut Imagine's campus, providing access to the institute's research environment, equipment, and expertise for translational genetic disease research.
• BioLaunchpad Industrial Partnerships Industrial partnership program (BioLaunchpad) that supports structured collaborations between Institut Imagine research teams and pharmaceutical, biotech, and medtech companies to develop therapeutic and diagnostic innovations.
• AIDY 2 Diagnostic Tool An advanced diagnostic computer-vision tool for deep phenotyping of patients, supporting diagnostic evaluation and characterization of genetic disease phenotypes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400 therapeutic and diagnostic solutions in pre-clinical and clinical development
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanofi partnered with Imagine, WhiteLab Genomics, and TaRGeT Laboratory at Nantes University to launch WIDGeT (Worldwide Initiative for Gene Therapy) to make France a global leader in gene therapy. This is a major collaboration in the field of genetic disease therapeutics.
• WhiteLab GenomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in WIDGeT initiative alongside Sanofi, Imagine, and TaRGeT Laboratory for advancing gene therapy research.
• TaRGeT Laboratory at Nantes UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in WIDGeT initiative focused on gene therapy development.
• Medetia PharmaceuticalscoreTechnology or IntegrationMedetia Pharmaceuticals is hosted at the Lab-in-Labs platform and is partner in the C'IL-LICO project selected under the Hospital-University Research in Health (RHU) program.
• IpsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIpsen partnered with MEDETIA and Institut Imagine to launch an innovative research program in genetic diseases.
• SimforHealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SimforHealth in rare genetic diseases to support the training of healthcare professionals through digital simulation.
• Inserm TransfertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Inserm Transfert on the MEDETIA program for innovative research with Ipsen.
• AP-HP (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and primary hospital partner. Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades is the clinical care site for the institute.
• INSERMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and principal research partner. INSERM provides research personnel and co-develops research programs with the institute.
• Université Paris CitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and academic partner. University affiliation provides research collaboration and education programs.
• Ville de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and municipal partner supporting the institute's activities.
• Fondation des Hôpitaux de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and foundation partner supporting hospital-based research.
• AFM-TéléthoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and key supporter. AFM-Téléthon provides funding and advocacy for genetic disease research.
• Rockefeller UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner. Jean-Laurent Casanova holds positions at both Rockefeller University and Imagine Institute, leading the Franco-American laboratory.
• Howard Hughes Medical InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner. Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports Jean-Laurent Casanova's research as co-leader of the Franco-American laboratory.
• COVID Human Genetic Effort ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational consortium coordinated by Laurent Abel and Jean-Laurent Casanova to identify genetic and immunological factors explaining severe COVID-19 forms. Includes hundreds of researchers worldwide.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental European research organization in molecular life sciences with technology platforms and translational programs. Comparable to Imagine as a European biomedical research platform operator with cross-border collaboration and training mandates.
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: Large US academic-affiliated biomedical and genomic research institute. Comparable to Imagine as a university-based, disease-focused research powerhouse with deep genomics, single-cell, and translational capabilities — though significantly larger and broader in scope.

Direct peers

• Stowers Institute for Medical Research: US private biomedical research institute operating foundation-funded basic research with translational outputs. Comparable to Imagine as a privately funded, mission-driven research foundation with sustained industry and academic partnerships.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK-based genomic research institute focused on understanding the genetic basis of disease, with large-scale sequencing, single-cell, and translational platforms — directly comparable to Imagine's genomic, single-cell, and disease-modeling platforms.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology: UK research institute conducting fundamental molecular biology research with strong translational impact. Comparable to Imagine in core molecular and genetic-disease research focus and in producing high-impact scientific output that feeds into therapeutic development.
• Hubrecht Institute: Dutch developmental biology and stem cell research institute with organoid and disease-modeling platforms. Comparable to Imagine in iPSC/organoid-based disease modeling and developmental genetics research.
• Institut Pasteur: Paris-based research foundation combining basic biomedical research, clinical care integration, and industry partnerships. A direct French peer to Imagine in mission, structure, and translational research focus, though focused on infectious disease more broadly.
• Francis Crick Institute: London-based biomedical discovery institute with ~1,500 scientists, integrating multiple research disciplines with clinical translation. Closely comparable to Imagine in scale, translational ambition, and partnership-driven funding model.
• Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Australia-based medical research institute integrating genomic, cellular, and clinical research with hospital partners. Comparable to Imagine as a hospital-integrated, genomics-heavy translational research institute.
• Berlin Institute of Health at Charité: German translational research institute jointly operated with Charité hospital, focused on systems medicine and personalized therapies. Comparable to Imagine as a hospital-integrated translational research organization with a strong academic-medical partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InstitutImagine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiobYLl7VtngPGYbb8jQGmg
• Facebookfacebook.com/InstitutImagine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imagine-institute-of-genetic-diseases
• Instagraminstagram.com/institut_imagine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institut Imagine