The INNOVTE network didn't spring into existence "out of thin air" when it assumed this name in 2013. Instead, it's the culmination of a lengthy process of maturation, roots of which can be traced back to the mid-1980s with the introduction of the first low-molecular-weight heparins into clinical practice.
The birth of a group
At this time, two (young) professors of therapeutics, Hervé Decousus in Saint-Etienne and Dominique Mottier in Brest, had the intuition that the emergence of these new molecules, in a common disease that affects almost all medical specialties, was an opportunity to establish high-quality clinical research. Concurrently, the first "PHRC" (hospital-based clinical research programs) were emerging, marking the initial steps towards "evidence-based medicine".
Together with their colleagues, they played a pivotal role in establishing local academic structures dedicated to clinical research. These structures were backed by public and industrial funding and rapidly adopted the concept of investigator "networks", pooling together clinicians (emergency physicians, resuscitators, pneumologists, cardiologists, vascular physicians, etc.), biologists, pharmacologists, epidemiologists, and basic researchers.
Making it official
In 2009, they finally founded GIRC Thrombose France (Groupe d'Investigation et de Recherche Clinique sur la thrombose), which aimed to:
"unite French clinical research investigators in the field of venous thromboembolic disease, to conduct multi-center institutional studies, and also to offer industrial sponsors a one-stop solution for initiating and carrying out industrial clinical trials in the field of venous thromboembolic disease"
From GIRC to INNOVTE
The creation of the F-CRIN "network of networks" in 2013 was an opportunity to support GIRC, which then almost naturally integrated F-CRIN, from the very first calls for tender, under the name INNOVTE for Investigation Network On Venous Thrombo-Embolism.
Professors Guy Meyer et Hervé Décousus
Over the last 40 years, a large number of actors, both well-known and unknown, have contributed to the evolution and success of INNOVTE, measurable in terms of publications record. It's neither feasible nor necessary to recognize all these historical contributors. However, several individuals deserve special acknowledgment for their indispensable roles in shaping INNOVTE: Dominique Mottier and Hervé Decousus, already mentioned, along with their successors, Professors Guy Meyer in Paris and Patrick Mismetti in Saint-Etienne. Each had his own personality, but what they had in common was a forward-looking vision, rigor, tenacity, communicative enthusiasm and, last but not least, the talent that enabled them to federate individuals from diverse backgrounds, all working towards a common goal: improving patient care in thromboembolic venous disease. Their legacy continues to inspire us all.
Dr Girard / Miss Ayala
