ABMI

Claudio holds a BSc and a PhD in Physics from the University of Geneva. Following the completion of his PhD, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Max-Planck Institute in Munich, Germany (2 years), at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology in Cambridge MA, USA (2 years), and at the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. He has worked specifically in biomedical systems, in-vitro modeling and artificial intelligence since 1999. He conceived, built and operated the in-vitro system now owned by ABMI, analyzed brain embolization and derived decision-aid algorithms. Dr. Lucchesi has presented results at numerous international conferences, and published research articles in renowned journals. Dr. Lucchesi recently completed a Masters in Business Information Systems at HEC Lausanne, for which he was awarded the 2002 Porphyrogenis Prize.

With the ABMI venture project, he earned numerous prizes and awards, including the NETS Prize 2002 (an entrepreneurial training in Switzerland and the USA, at Babson College, Wellesley MA, the 2002-2003 IMD Startup Competition, which has given ABMI free access to business planning work by IMD’s MBA class, the Liechti Encouragement Prize 2003 of CHF 50’000, the overall Gold Technology Award and the Biotech-Medical Category Prize in the 2003 Wall Street Journal Europe Innovation Awards, the 2004 de Vigier Entrepreneurship Prize, of CHF 100’000, the 2005 Platinum Medal of Innovation in Multimedia, and the 2005 PERL Trophy of Lausanne-Région.

Claudio's Story

From 1999 to 2002, while I was researching causes of and cures for stroke at Lausanne University, my father, Ugo Lucchesi, suffered two major and three minor strokes. He underwent surgery on both carotid arteries to remove cholesterol plaque which, by releasing tiny fragments into the cerebral blood flow, was causing the attacks. He is now fine, but he has spent several years under the constant threat that a new stroke could occur, with a high probability of concomitant morbidity and mortality.

A few years later, in 2005, he underwent a very heavy aortic surgery to replace the thoraco-abdominal aorta by a prothesis, due to a threatening aortic dilation. Again, concern with brain embolization was very high.

Unfortunately, this situation of threat is shared by millions of stroke patients around the world, as well as by 1.5 million patients who undergo heart and vascular surgery yearly with the associated risk of brain damage.

Today, my goal is to help develop and widen the use of advanced technologies that contribute to reducing stroke-related mortality and morbidity.