CEA

HIGHLIGHT On December 2, 2004, a team made up of researchers and clinicians from CEA's Frédéric Joliot Hospital Department 1 (SHFJ) and the University of Paris XII, published in the Neuron journal the results of a new therapeutic approach to Parkinson's disease.  Read  SHFJ - Positron Emission Tomography (or PET) © CEA-L.MEDARD LINKS Life Sciences Division, web site.  Biochips, magazine Défis - French only.  Radiological and chemical toxicology, magazine Clefs.  Medical imaging, Pedagogical booklet no.10 - French only.

Our strategy

Since it was founded in 1945, the CEA has striven to give the health sector the full benefit of technological progress in the nuclear field.

Today, technological developments are required in the health sector for handling, analyzing and integrating increasing amounts of useful data to obtain a full understanding of highly complex processes and phenomena. Within this context, health technologies are and will continue to be increasingly present in the medical and hospital world. This rapidly growing area covers a very broad range of scientific fields (biology, pharmacy, medicine, physics, chemistry, microfluids, microelectronics, micro- and nanotechnologies, etc.). It covers fundamental research and highly perfected technological aspects. The CEA possesses expertise in the field of life sciences, physical sciences, technological research, nuclear research and defence to initiate and develop technologies for health applications.

Our partners

In this field, all CEA laboratories are contractually bound - as joint groups or associate laboratories - to universities and other research laboratories such as CNRS, INSERM, INRA, the Paris public hospitals, the Gustave Roussy Institute and the Curie Institute. At the national level, the CEA is involved in networking skills and resources. It is part of the French national network of genome centres (Génopole d'Evry and Génopole Rhône-Alpes). At the European level, CEA coordinates five major projects (networks of excellence and integrated projects ) under the 6 th European Framework Programme, and a research training network (RTN) in the health technology field. At the world level, the Life Sciences Division welcomes many foreign post-doctoral and doctoral students and researchers. In addition, it takes part in many international organizations (including the Human Frontier Science Programme Organisation, European Science Foundation, James S McDonnell Foundation and EMBO), is an expert in other international organizations (IAEA, Unscear, ICRP, OECD, European Commission), and works closely with a number of foreign institutions such as GSF in Germany, NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Science) in Japan, DOE (Department of Energy) in the United States, BARC in India and Ansto (Australian Nuclear and Technology Organisation).

Figures & research resources

At the CEA, health technologies are supervised by the Life Sciences Division. Other CEA divisions are also involved, such as the Physical Sciences Division and the Technological Research Division and, to a lesser extent, the Nuclear Energy and Military Applications Divisions.

Some 1500 people work at the Life Sciences Division (DSV), including 740 CEA employees and a permanent staff of 330 people from other university and research organizations. Its laboratories welcome more than 300 doctoral and post-doctoral researchers.

CEA divisions

• Life Sciences Division,
• Technological Research Division,
• Physical Sciences Division.