IHU ICAN

What IHU ICAN does

IHU ICAN (Institut de Cardiométabolisme et Nutrition), legally the Fondation pour l'Innovation en Cardiométabolisme et Nutrition, is a French non-profit research and clinical foundation founded in 2011 and headquartered at Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris. It is co-founded by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Inserm, and Sorbonne Université, and operates under the selective French Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHU) designation with ISO 9001 certification. The foundation's mission is to integrate clinical care with translational research across cardiometabolic diseases - diabetes, obesity, metabolic liver disease (MASH/NASH), and cardiovascular conditions - and it operates six reference centres for rare diseases plus five innovative care pathways including a MASH/NASH clinic, bariatric surgery, familial hypercholesterolemia, and heart failure.

The foundation delivers its work through seven specialised scientific platforms: ICAN Imaging (1.5T cardiovascular MRI with core-lab services), ICAN Clinical Investigation (clinical trial support for academic and industrial sponsors), ICAN Omics (metabolomics and lipidomics), ICAN BioCollection (biobanking), ICAN BioCell Human Liver Biology, ICAN BioCell iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells), and ICAN I/O Data Sciences. Research is conducted across four Inserm-affiliated units (UMR 1166, UMR 1146, UMR 938, UMR 1269) and clinical teams at four APHP hospital groups. Signature research programmes include MAESTRIA (AI for cardiometabolism, 2022), ICONIC (cardiac and hepatic imaging atlas, 2023), PEGASE (12-hour cardiac graft preservation, 2024), MEDITWIN (digital twin personalised medicine, 2025), and GRIPonMASH (GP-led hepatic risk screening, 2026).

IHU ICAN's revenue model combines charitable donations (including IFI tax-deductible giving), institutional grants (France 2030, ANR, IHU Federation), and fee-for-service R&D collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Clinical care is delivered through partner APHP hospitals rather than billed by the foundation. Geographic footprint is concentrated in the Paris metropolitan area; the foundation's go-to-market is event-driven and donor-relationship-driven rather than commercial sales, supported by LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, weekly newsletter distribution, the annual Semaine nationale des maladies cardiométaboliques, and recurring scientific seminars.

Name

IHU ICAN

Legal name

Fondation pour l'Innovation en Cardiométabolisme et Nutrition

Website

https://ican-institute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IHU ICAN is a French non-profit foundation at Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris that integrates cardiometabolic clinical care with translational research through seven scientific platforms, serving patients with diabetes, obesity, MASH, and cardiovascular disease alongside pharmaceutical and academic collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiometabolic Disease Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metabolomics & Lipidomics Services (HLAGANAG), DMPK / ADME & Bioanalysis (HLAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Cardiometabolic disease research
• Translational medical research
• Clinical investigation platforms
• Biomedical research services
• Human liver biology

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IHU ICAN operates as a foundation funded primarily through donations and charitable contributions from donors and patrons. The foundation accepts tax-deductible donations (including IFI donations) to support cardiometabolic research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IHU ICAN is a French research foundation operating six specialized scientific platforms (Clinical Investigation, Imaging, Omics, BioCollection, BioCell Human Liver Biology, BioCell iPS, and Data Sciences) that deliver translational cardiometabolic disease research services to academic and industrial partners. It also runs innovative clinical care pathways for diabetes, obesity, MASH/NASH, cardiovascular diseases, and rare diseases through partner hospitals, while conducting major internal research programs such as MAESTRIA (AI), ICONIC (imaging atlas), PEGASE (cardiac preservation), MEDITWIN (digital twin), and GRIPonMASH (hepatic risk screening).

Product overview

IHU ICAN is a foundation for innovation in cardiometabolism and nutrition operating as a multi-platform research and clinical care organization. The core offering consists of six scientific platforms (ICAN Clinical Investigation, ICAN Imaging, ICAN Omics, ICAN BioCollection, ICAN BioCell Human Liver Biology, ICAN BioCell iPS, ICAN I/O Data sciences) that provide translational research services to academic and industrial partners. These platforms are complemented by innovative clinical care pathways for cardiometabolic conditions (diabetes, obesity, MASH/NASH, cardiovascular diseases) and rare disease reference centers. The organization also conducts internally-funded research projects (MAESTRIA-AI, ICONIC-imaging atlas, MEDITWIN-digital twin, PEGASE-cardiac preservation) and offers university diplomas and training programs. Located at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, IHU ICAN operates under ISO 9001 certification and is supported by AP-HP, INSERM, and Sorbonne University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICAN Clinical Investigation: Clinical investigation platform dedicated to biomedical research on cardiometabolic diseases.
• ICAN Imaging
• ICAN Omics
• ICAN BioCollection
• ICAN BioCell Human Liver Biology
• ICAN BioCell iPS
• ICAN I/O – Data Sciences
• MAESTRIA
• ICONIC
• PEGASE
• MEDITWIN
• GRIPonMASH

Products and services

• ICAN Clinical Investigation Clinical investigation platform dedicated to biomedical research on cardiometabolic diseases. Supports academic or industrial sponsors in clinical trial design, methodology, regulatory compliance, and financial planning.
• ICAN Imaging Cardiovascular imaging platform combining 1.5T MRI image acquisition, standardized reference analysis, and Core Lab image management, with project support including methodological, regulatory, financial, and communication aspects.
• ICAN Omics Omics platform offering metabolomics and lipidomics services for cardiometabolic research. Part of the six scientific platforms structured to accelerate research on cardiometabolic diseases.
• ICAN BioCollection Biobanking platform for collection, storage, and management of biological samples supporting cardiometabolic research.
• ICAN BioCell Human Liver Biology Research platform focused on human liver cell biology, supporting studies on liver diseases including MASH/NASH and metabolic liver conditions.
• ICAN BioCell iPS Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) research platform for disease modeling and therapeutic discovery in cardiometabolic conditions.
• ICAN I/O Data Sciences Data sciences platform providing Big Data analytics, data management, and computational infrastructure for cardiometabolic research projects.
• NASH/MASH Clinic Specialized clinical care pathway for metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH/NASH) diagnosis and treatment, part of innovative patient care parcours.
• Bariatric Surgery Pathway Surgical care pathway for obesity treatment within the cardiometabolic care offerings.
• Familial Hypercholesterolemia Pathway Specialized care pathway for diagnosis and management of familial hypercholesterolemia.
• Heart Failure Pathway Specialized care pathway for heart failure patients within cardiometabolic disease management.
• MAESTRIA – AI for Cardiometabolic Innovation Research program applying artificial intelligence for innovation in cardiometabolic diseases.
• ICONIC – Cardiac and Hepatic Imaging Atlas Research program creating the first atlas of cardiac and hepatic imaging in the general population, including people under 40 years old.
• PEGASE – Cardiac Graft Preservation Research program achieving a world first in cardiac graft preservation over 12 hours.
• MEDITWIN – Digital Twin for Personalized Medicine Research program utilizing digital twin technology for developing personalized medicine of tomorrow.
• GRIPonMASH – Hepatic Risk Screening Dedicated care pathway helping general practitioners identify patients at hepatic risk, as part of an early screening initiative for metabolic liver disease.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and key.

• APHP (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPHP is a founding institutional partner of IHU ICAN, providing hospital infrastructure and clinical operations at Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Groupe Hospitalier Saint-Antoine, and related sites. APHP is the largest hospital system in Europe.
• Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)foundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInserm is a founding institutional partner providing research framework and scientific oversight. IHU ICAN research units are affiliated with Inserm.
• Sorbonne UniversitéfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSorbonne Université is a founding institutional partner providing academic framework and research collaboration. IHU ICAN research units are affiliated with the university.
• IHU Federation (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHU ICAN is part of the French IHU Federation, a network of hospital-university institutes for healthcare innovation.
• Pharmaceutical CompanieskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHU ICAN collaborates with pharmaceutical companies (from large groups to young biotech companies) in research and development activities related to cardiometabolic diseases, including drug development and clinical trials.
• Biotechnology CompanieskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHU ICAN collaborates with biotech companies for R&D projects in cardiometabolic diseases, providing access to research platforms and clinical expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mayo Clinic: Large US nonprofit academic medical center operating integrated clinical care and dedicated translational research platforms across multiple specialties — analogous care-plus-research operating model at vastly larger scale.
• VIB (Flemish Institute for Biotechnology): Belgian government-backed life-sciences research institute operating multiple thematic research centres with translational platforms — comparable platform-aggregation operating model in a similar European public-funding regime.
• Inserm: France's national health and medical research institute — sister/parent institutional body whose affiliated research units (UMRs) are integrated into IHU ICAN; broader in scope but analogous government-backed translational research model.
• Broad Institute: Large US-affiliated biomedical research institute combining genomic, chemical biology, and clinical translation at scale — broader in scope and capital base, but analogous multi-platform translational research model.
• Karolinska Institutet: Swedish medical university with deep translational research platforms and integrated hospital care (Karolinska University Hospital) — analogous academic-hospital-translational research integration at larger scale.

Direct peers

• Institut Pasteur: French private nonprofit foundation focused on biomedical research, also funded via donations and government grants and operating multiple research units and platforms — directly comparable institutional and funding-model peer to IHU ICAN.
• Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute: Australian translational research institute dedicated to cardiometabolic diseases (heart, diabetes, metabolism) operating dedicated research platforms and clinical partnerships — most direct therapeutic-area peer to IHU ICAN.
• IHU de Strasbourg: Another French IHU foundation under the same government excellence programme, combining research platforms with university-hospital clinical activity — directly comparable operating model and governance to IHU ICAN.
• IHU Méditerranée Infection: Sister French IHU foundation based in Marseille operating translational research infrastructure and clinical platforms under the same IHU Federation programme — directly comparable by structure, funding model, and translational mandate.
• German Diabetes Center (DDZ): German Leibniz Centre for Diabetes Research dedicated to diabetes and metabolic disease research, with integrated clinical and translational platforms — directly comparable cardiometabolic therapeutic-focus peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ihu-ican
• Facebookfacebook.com/IHUICAN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ihu-ican
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihu.ican
• Xx.com/ican_institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about IHU ICAN