INNOVATING TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF HEART RHYTHM DISEASES
By Prof. Pierre Jaïs, CEO of Liryc

The year 2021 was disturbed again by the Covid-19 crisis, calling on the inventiveness of the teams to meet the major challenges of cardiac electrophysiology. In this context, the constant search for innovation, whether in practice or in approaches, has enabled us to continue our activities and even to surpass ourselves, keeping in mind our primary vocation: to give birth to major medical advances that will provide better care for patients.

This year once again, joint efforts have been rewarded and acclaimed internationally, in the rankings of universities and research centres in cardiac rhythmology, with a seventh position in the world; and in France, with a first place in the 2021 list by the Le Point magazine for the electrophysiology and cardiac stimulation care teams of Bordeaux University Hospital Centre. I’d like to congratulate all of Liryc’s employees, who have enabled us to carry our ambitions high. At the end of my first year as CEO, I’m particularly proud to lead such an institute of excellence.

On the scientific level, the year 2021 was marked by the launch of three European projects, BEAT-AF, MICROCARD and SimCardioTest, which encourage international translational collaborations to respond to the urgency of heart rhythm diseases. These projects are part of the institute’s scientific roadmap, which relies in particular on artificial intelligence and modelling tools to draw up sustainable innovations, fast-track research and create real opportunities for diagnosing cardiac anomalies.

This momentum is also found in the training component of Liryc, with the launch of a two-year international master’s course, which promotes a resolutely innovative teaching approach; and several initiatives to digitize training, to be more agile and to share our scientific and clinical knowledge better.
We should also note the official launch of the “Light Up Your Heart” fundraising campaign in 2021, which supports research, innovation, patient care and training. As such, it carries our collective ambition to prevent and cure heart rhythm diseases.

Read the annual report here.